Dawn's New Light and Adventure
by mudkipluvr4ever
Summary: Dawn heads to Kanto to take part in the contests being held their, unexpectedly meeting Paul who is challenging the Battle Frontier. With romance, drama, danger and battles facing them, will they fall for each other? Ikari, Contest, Pokeshipping
1. On her own

**I do not own Pokemon.**

Dawn leaped off the ferry and jumped up into the air happily. She had finally made it to Kanto to compete in the Pokemon Contests there. Piplup let out a squeak of happiness with its trainer. Dawn had changed her wardrobe before heading out on her own. In the place of her old pink and black mini-dress she was wearing tight, black Capri's, a red sweater and had traded out her boots for regular tennis shoes.

"Let's get going!" Dawn cried happily as she tossed her Pokeballs into the air. A Piplup, Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine and a Houndour leaped gracefully out of their Pokeballs. "Okay, you guys we need to train if we plan on winning the contests hear. Zoey and Kenny haven't gotten any weaker and we need to train hard if we want to win especially since Ash and Brock aren't going to be with us anymore." Dawn's voice cracked at the end with sadness.

"What are _you _doing here troublesome?" asked Paul rudely.

"I am here to enter the Kanto Region contests! What about you?" asked Dawn looking at Paul. _Oh my Arceus, he looks so cute! _Thought Dawn, blushing a bit at the thought, _don't think about him like that, he is the rival of one of your best friends! _Although she had to admit he looked very hot in his knee-length shorts and a muscle shirt that showed off his abs.

"Checking me out again I see," laughed Paul as Dawn blushed furiously. "Well, if you must know I am here to compete in the Kanto Battle Frontier. If that loser won this thing it should be easy for me! Well I must be off."

Dawn waved at Paul as he walked off, hands buried deep in his pockets.

"His attitude hasn't approved much has it?" asked Dawn turning back to her Pokemon. "Let's get training!"

…

"So he's still acting the same, isn't he?" said Misty looking at her friend sadly. When Dawn had called to tell her she had arrived in Kanto she had told her about meeting up with Paul again. Misty knew that Dawn had secretly had a crush on Paul since they had first met, but she had not admitted it yet.

"Hey, my first Contest is in Cerulean City so I am going to come and visit you!" screamed Dawn happily to her friend. Misty shrieked back.

"Great and you can come watch one of my gym battles!"

"That would be awesome!" sighed Dawn again looking at her friend. "Have you told Ash yet?" asked Dawn looking slyly at her friend.

"What do you mean by that!" asked Misty her face going a deep red.

"You don't want to hold it in too long Misty. You saw what happened to May!"

"Oh yeah," sighed Misty thinking about their friend. May had tried to tell Drew but ended up telling him they were friends instead. "Poor May."

"Tell Ash!" commanded Dawn as she hung up. Dawn began to feel lonely as she walked outside. "I know what will help, I will train! Go Houndour!"

Dawn's Houndour leaped out of its Pokeball and began to chase his tail excitedly.

"Now Houndour fire spin then shadow ball," commanded Dawn as she watched her Houndour attempt their new combination. The fire spin shot out and then Houndour fired his shadow ball through the middle before it blew up.

Houndour turned to look at Dawn sadly. "Don't worry you will get it," said Dawn scratching her Pokemon affectionately.

"Your Pokemon are looking great Dawn!" said a voice behind her.

"Oh, hi Kenny," said Dawn glaring at him secretly. She wished Kenny would get over his stupid little crush and leave her alone.

"Are you here to compete in the Kanto Contest?" asked Kenny.

_Obviously,_ thought Dawn. Instead she said, "Of course and I bet you are too!"

"How did you know?" asked Kenny.

_Because I am a freakin genius,_ thought Dawn. "Well I have to train so see you around!" said Dawn running off.

…

Dawn walked back into the Pokemon Center after three grueling hours of training. As her newest Pokemon Houndour still had a way to go, but he was getting better every day.

"And our great Gym Leader Misty has just won the Whirl Cup!" shouted the announcer. Dawn looked up happily. Her friend hadn't told her that she was doing that well.

"Man she may be tougher to beat than I thought!" said a young boy behind her.

"She is awesomely strong," Dawn told the young boy. "So you're going to have to train hard."

"You know her?" asked the boy.

"Yes, she is one of my best friends," said Dawn. "By the way my name is Dawn."

"Mine is Tommy. Are you a trainer to?"

"Nope, I am a coordinator. This will be my third region."

"Well you must not be very good considering I have never heard of you before."

Dawn gave him the glare that made Paul shut up and Tommy ran away.

"Now, I am going to start towards Cerulean City tomorrow!" said Dawn determinedly as she walked back to her room.

**Okay this is my first chaptered fic. So please review. Next chapter will be up soon.**


	2. Who to choose?

**I do not own Pokemon.**

Dawn ran down Route 5 as fast as she could. She wanted to be able to get to Cerulean City early so Misty could help her out with her appeals and battling. She had only met Misty in person once and had felt that she would make a great role model. A girl that was strong, determined, and wouldn't let people run all over her, oh and she was also an awesome battler. Most people steered clear of her gym anymore.

Dawn felt an ache in her side and sat down to rest. Piplup flopped down exhaustedly beside her.

"Pip- Piplup?" she asked Dawn.

"I want to get there to see if she can help you," explained Dawn gasping. Piplup just laid on the ground and closed her eyes.

Suddenly a loud explosion was heard and misty saw smoke beginning to rise. "I wonder what is happening?" said Dawn grabbing Piplup. "Let's go and see if we can help."

Dawn began to sprint again and she saw a fierce gyarados in front of her facing a couple Team Rocket Grunts. Behind gyarados stood a red head which Dawn instantly recognized as Misty although her outfit had changed. Misty had on black swim shorts and a tight, blue tank top.

"Hey Misty, do you need some help?" shouted Dawn running up.

"Yeah, do you have Pachirisu with you?"

Dawn gave her a quick nod.

"Good then let him out and I'm going to have gyarados soak them and then I want you to zap them."

Dawn nodded again and threw her Pokeball. "Go Pachirisu, you discharge!"

Gyarados had the Team Rocket Grunts soon soaking and them the electricity hit them, leaving them wounded. "Gyarados use dragon breath!" commanded Misty. Gyarados complied and the Team Rocket Grunts were soon shooting off.

"Wow Misty, you are so strong," gushed Dawn.

"Thanks Dawn," said Misty giving her friend a quick hug. "You want to head over to the gym?" asked Misty. Not waiting for an answer Misty started walking away.

_She and Ash act so much alike _thought Dawn. _They would make such a cute couple._

"Why are you her so early?" questioned Misty as Dawn ran to catch up.

"I was hoping you could help me with my training."

"I would love to," said Misty. "But I have to complete a gym battle first."

"Can I watch?" asked Dawn eagerly. "I always heard Ash talking about how great of a trainer you had become but it would be awesome to see it in person."

"Sure, but just so you know I am against Paul," said Misty looking at Dawn for a reaction.

"Th-that's okay," said Dawn. "I don't care."

"Sure you don't," said Misty. "But I am in no mood to argue."

"Brock always said you and Ash always argued, is that true?" asked Dawn attempting to change the subject.

"Yeah we always argued playfully but it never got bad," said Misty smiling at her friend knowingly.

Misty pulled open the massive door and revealed a huge pool of water and a diving board. As Dawn was taking it all in, she saw Paul sitting on one of the chairs. Her heart fluttered.

"Can we battle now?" asked Paul gruffly. "Hello Troublesome."

Misty smirked at her friend then turned back to Paul. "Sure go stand over there."

With a glare Paul turned and headed off to the other side of the gym.

"You can sit over there," said Misty pointing to a row of chairs on the side of the pool.

Daisy hurried in. "Sorry Misty, my manicure like ran late," gasped Daisy as she went to the judge's stand. "This will be a three on three battle between Paul the challenger and Misty the gym leader. The battle is over once one trainer's three Pokemon have been defeated. In addition, only the challenger may substitute. Let the battle begin!"

"Go Corsala!" said Misty throwing a Pokeball up in the air.

"Go Torterra!"

"Corsala let's start off with a spike cannon!" Corsala glowed and began firing pointed spikes at Torterra. They hit Torterra head on.

"Torterra use leaf storm," commanded Paul quietly.

"Counter with ice beam!" The ice beam cut straight through the leaf storm and knocked Torterra out.

"Torterra is unable to battle, Corsala wins," shouted Daisy.

"Return," said Paul. "I'll deal with you later. Go Ursaring." Ursaring shot out of its Pokeball and landed in front of Corsala.

"Corsala use bubble beam!"

"Counter with focus blast!" The focus blast went straight through the bubble beam and hit Corsala causing serious damage.

"Corsala use recover." Corsala began to glow pink as it healed itself.

"Ursaring get over there and use hammer arm." Ursaring hopped across the platform and hit Corsala before it could move.

"No," screamed Misty as Corsala hit the wall and fainted. Dawn felt pity for her friend but she couldn't ignore the twinge of satisfaction that Paul was doing well.

"Corsala is unable to battle Ursaring wins!" called Daisy,

"Fine you win that one," growled Misty. "Misty calls, Staryu!"

"Hi-ya," exclaimed Staryu leaping out of its Pokeball. It pulled its two star shapes down like it was trying to show off its muscles.

"Staryu use water gun and swift combo," called Misty. Dawn watched in awe as the two attacks merged together perfectly and hit Ursaring head-on. 'Now use rapid spin!" Staryu started spinning in circles and took out Ursaring's legs, causing it to land in the water.

"Good job Misty!" called Dawn. She saw Paul start in surprise and give her a look, but he was too far away to read it.

Ursaring climbed out of the water and began to glow red. "Perfect, guts is activated!" said Paul watching his Pokemon. "Now use thunder." Ursaring began to charge up a massive thunder attack.

"Staryu get ready," whispered Misty to her Pokemon. With a mighty roar Ursaring launched the thunder. "Use psychic!" called Misty. Psychic shot out of Staryu and collided with the thunder, reflecting the thunder as the psychic hit Ursaring and it tumbled into the water knocked out.

"Ursaring is unable to battle, Staryu wins!" called Daisy happily.

"Go Electabuzz," said Paul throwing the Pokeball lazily. Electabuzz flew out of the Pokeball and landed gracefully.

"Staryu in the water, then spin around fast!" Staryu leaped into the water and began creating a water tornado.

"Electabuzz use thunder," said Paul a smile playing on his lips.

"Oh no," whispered Dawn looking on in horror as the thunder slammed into Staryu causing an instant on-hit KO.

"Staryu is unable to battle, Electabuzz wins," said Daisy felling sorry for her sister.

"Misty calls, HUH!" yelled Misty as one of her Pokeball's flashed open revealing her Psyduck who landed in the water. Psyduck began flailing around since it couldn't swim.

"You are such a GREAT Pokemon trainer," said Paul sarcastically watching Psyduck flounder. "This won't last long."

"Oh yeah?" challenged Misty getting ready to battle.

_Cliffy I know but all will be revealed next chapter! Please review._


	3. The Story

**I do not own Pokemon. **

"_Misty calls, HUH!" yelled Misty as one of her Pokeball's flashed open revealing her Psyduck who landed in the water. Psyduck began flailing around since it couldn't swim._

"_You are such a GREAT Pokemon trainer," said Paul sarcastically watching Psyduck flounder. "This won't last long." _

"_Oh yeah?" challenged Misty getting ready to battle._

"Electabuzz use Thunder!" commanded Paul.

"Psyduck use Protect!' called Misty. Psyduck began glowing a pink color as a dome surrounded it. "Now use disable!" Electabuzz was frozen as the disable hit him.

"Your stronger than I thought," muttered Paul.

"Thanks," smiled Misty, surprised at the compliment, "Now use brick break."Psyduck hit Electabuzz hard freeing it from disable but causing a lot of damage.

"Electabuzz," gasped Electabuzz as it hit the water.

"Use thunder," commanded Paul.

"Use iron tail," cried Misty. Psyduck stuck its tail into the air and bounced the thunder off. "Now use confusion!"

Confusion slammed into Electabuzz knocking backwards on the platform.

"While it's still dazed use brick break," shouted Misty. Lunging forward Psyduck hit Electabuzz knocking it out

"Electabuzz is unable to battle, Psyduck wins the victory goes to Misty, the gym leader," called Daisy.

"I'll deal with you later," grumbled Paul returning Electabuzz. Jamming his hands into his pockets he left the gym.

"Oh Paul," whispered Dawn as Paul shouldered his way out of the gym.

"Guess all my special training with Psyduck really payed off, huh Dawn," celebrated Misty happily. "Dawn are you okay?" asked Misty worriedly.

"Yeah, great job Misty. You were awesome," said Dawn forcing a smile.

"Thinking about Paul," said Misty. "You can't fool me, May used to pull the same thing all the time about Drew."

"I'm worried about him," admitted Dawn.

"He is horrible," cried Misty, staring at Dawn. Her friend was so weird sometimes.

"No he isn't," cried Dawn leaping to her feet, "You just need to get to know him better."

"How well do you actually know him?" asked Misty as Dawn fled from the arena.

"You need to like go after her," said Daisy.

"I will, no worry," said Misty following her friend.

…

**At a park:**

"I can't believe Misty said that," cried Dawn to Piplup. "I thought she understood about Paul."

"Understood about Paul what?" asked Paul coming up behind her.

"Uh, nothing," said Dawn turning away her face in embarrassment.

"Something that happened at the gym battle?" questioned Paul.

"Kinda, yeah," sighed Dawn.

"Your friend was really strong," said Paul sitting down beside her. "I underestimated her."

"Misty said that you were horrible," Dawn told him, tears streaming down her face again.

"Why?" asked Paul. He hated showing his soft side but Dawn always seemed so vulnerable and sweet he couldn't help it. She was nothing like that girl Misty, or even May that other annoying girl.

"Because of the way you treat your Pokemon," said Dawn, drying the last of her tears. "Why do you treat them that way?"

"Because in my opinion, strong Pokemon are the only good Pokemon."

"Tell me why!" demanded Dawn. "I want to know the truth and don't leave anything out."

"Are you sure?" asked Paul. Dawn nodded back. "Do not interrupt until I am done and don't judge me based off what you hear more than you can help." She nodded again. "Okay here it goes."

"My mom was horrible and slept around a lot. She had Reggie when she was sixteen years old and married his father. My mom slept around a lot after that and had me five years later. I don't even know if Reggie's father is mine. My dad was an alcoholic and a gambler. He lost most of his money at the game corner in Vielstone City. When he came home he was so wasted that he would beat my mom, Reggie and me. It was horrible. I remember being awake at night hearing my parents screaming at each other. Every morning when I went out I had to lie about where my bruises and gashes had come from. Then Reggie turned ten. My mom told him to start his Pokemon journey right away and so Reggie left. He never even considered taking me or helping mom! No, he just cared about himself!" Paul was visibly angry and his eyes were alight.

"It got worse after Reggie left. Dad sometimes never came home and mom 'met' plenty of new guys and dad was always gone. One night there was a horrible argument and I was trying to ignore it when I heard a gunshot. My dad had killed himself. My mom stayed with me until I was ten then left as I started my Pokemon journey. I haven't seen her since. My brother acts like nothing ever happened but I can't ignore it. It was too much of my childhood. I still have some scars." Paul had a wild look in his eyes as he lifted his shirt and showed Dawn the scars that faintly crossed him. "I just can't let it go."

"Paul," said Dawn quietly. Paul ignored her and stood up.

"I gotta go," he muttered jamming his hands into his pockets and heading off.

Dawn stared after him, pity deep in her chest.

**Thanks for the reviews and please leave one even if you already have.**


	4. Heartbreak for Kenny

**I do not own Pokemon otherwise May and Drew, Ash and Misty and Dawn and Paul would already be together.**

"Dawn where are you," yelled Misty running around Cerulean City looking for her. _Where the heck could she be _wondered Misty, _I hope she hasn't run into trouble. _

"Misty there you are!" exclaimed Dawn running up. "Hey I am so sorry for being a jerk. I didn't mean it."

"I am sorry to Dawn. I didn't think before I talked."

"You are so much like Ash!" laughed Dawn causing Misty to blush.

"Are you ready for some extensive training for your Pokemon?" asked Misty heading back towards the gym.

…

**At the contest:**

"Please welcome our next coordinator to the stage, Dawn!" exclaimed Lillian as Dawn ran onto the stage.

_Okay this is it. Time to put everything we learned to good use._ "Go Piplup," yelled Dawn throwing a Pokeball into the air. "Use bubblebeam." Piplup flipped out of the Pokeball and began spinning around using bubblebeam. "Now use metal claw." Piplup slapped the bubblebeam one section into the others causing it to fly around as Piplup hit the ground.

"Wow, what a beautiful display of talent!" shouted Lillian as the bubbles created a fine mist the covered the stadium.

Dawn waved as she and Piplup ran off the stage.

"Great job Dawn!" cried Misty hugging her friend. "You were awesome."

"Thanks Misty, you really helped me out."

"Here are the results," shouted Lillian as the pictures appeared on the board.

"Yes I made it!" shouted Dawn.

…

**Last round of the contest: **

"Five minutes on the board, let's get busy!" shouted Lillian.

"Go Houndour!" cried Dawn throwing out her newest Pokemon.

"Go Prinplup!" yelled Dawn's competitor who just happened to be Kenny. "Use bubblebeam."

_Misty practiced with us so this should be easy_ thought Dawn. "Spin and use shadow ball." Houndour spun around as the shadow balls flew out shielding it from the water and causing serious damage to Prinplup. "Now use our spin move and fire spin (if you've seen the shows you know what I am talking about). The flame wrapped around Houndour and hit Prinplup hard. Prinplup hit the ground hard and fainted.

"The battle is over and are winner is Dawn!" shouted Lillian as cheers erupted around the stadium. "Now I will present our winner with the prestigious Cerulean City ribbon!" said Lillian handing Dawn her ribbon.

"I've won the Cerulean City ribbon!" shouted Dawn posing with her Pokemon.

…

"I was so nervous!" confessed Dawn as she and Misty walked back to the gym.

"You only won because of my help!" Misty told her.

"Oh sure, that's also the reason Ash is such a good trainer, right?"

"Yep, I admit it, I'm awesome!" Both girls burst out laughing.

"You know," said Dawn becoming serious again, "I am going to be pretty lonely traveling by myself."

"You could always travel with Kenny. He would love that!"

"I would never travel with him!"

"Well you'd better tell him that because he's right behind us?"

"No he's not!"

"Then turn around!" Misty told her laughing at the look on her friend's face.

"Hey Dawn, Dawn!" called Kenny running up behind him.

"Oh hi Kenny!" said Dawn with no enthusiasm which Kenny completely missed.

"I just wanted to tell you that you were _so strong_ at the contest and was wondering if you wanted to travel together so we could help each other out."

"I would _love _to Kenny, but I want to travel alone for now," Dawn told him. Misty gave her a weird look.

"Oh, okay" said Kenny sadness all over his face. "Maybe another time," he said as he walked off.

"Yeah I am thinking never!" said Dawn bursting out laughing. She didn't want to hurt Kenny but he wouldn't leave her alone.

"You must hang out around Paul too much," laughed Misty, "That was really mean."

"I learned that from the best."

…

**The next day:**

"Bye Misty," said Dawn hugging her friend.

"Bye Dawn, be careful," said Misty hugging her back. "I know you will make it to the Grand Festival."

"Thanks, and good luck with the gym!" said Dawn waving. Misty waved back. _I maybe alone, but nothing is going to stop me with my friend, human and Pokemon alike, from reaching my goal._

**It was short but I didn't want to rush it. Contests are really hard for me to write so advice would be nice. I am better at battles. Please review and thanks for all my reviews. I love you all!**


	5. Leveling the Playing Field

_**I do not own Pokemon!**_

**Dawn's POV:**

"I'm on my own again Piplup," said Dawn staring out across the empty field.

"Piplup Piplup Pip," Piplup said looking at her backpack.

"Yeah I guess we should take a break and train huh." Dawn grabbed her Pokeball's and through them into the air. "Everybody out!"

Her Pokemon popped out of their Pokeballs and landed next to her crying out happily.

"Okay guys, Houndour and Piplup helped us win our first Kanto Ribbon so let's start training for our next ribbon in Tumbleweed Town!"

"Come on, that was pathetic!" Dawn heard Paul yell roughly. Torterra stood there wounded looking at Paul.

"Paul, what happened?' cried Dawn running down the hill.

"What do you care Troublesome?"

"Why are you treating your Pokemon like that?" challenged Dawn glaring at him her heart thumping as she looked at him.

"Torterra lost to Noland."

"It's not that easy to win," Dawn replied. "Who was he battling?"

"Camerupt, I can't believe he lost that easily."

"Every Pokemon has their off days," Dawn told him soothingly.

"If you want to be strong you can't have off days. What are you doing here anyways?"

"I am training my Pokemon." Dawn gestured up the hill to where her Pokemon were. "I am on my way to Tumbleweed Town for my next contest. I just won the Cerulean City Contest."

"Those are your Pokemon," Paul raised his eyebrows as he looked at her Pokemon.

"Yeah aren't they cool."

"Pathetic more like it."

Dawn stared at him tears beginning to pool at the bottom of her eyes. "You deserved to lose!" Dawn cried as she ran away trying to hide her tears.

**Paul's POV:**

Paul stared after her as she ran off. How did he always get himself into this? He really needed to start thinking before he talked to her. _Why am I always mean to her? Is it because I really like her and I am trying to hide my feelings? No that can't be it, _Paul shook his head angrily.

"Torterra get that look off of your face," said Paul glaring at his Pokemon.

"Tor Tort," said Torterra.

"I do not like her," replied Paul angrily. "Let's get back to training for are rematch."

**Dawn's POV:**

"Why did he say that to me? I am always nice to him!" Dawn cried as her Pokemon surrounded her attempting to comfort her.

"Houn," growled Houndour looking down the hill. Dawn picked her head up and went to see what Houndour was looking at. Paul was yelling at Torterra again.

"Let's ignore them," decided Dawn glancing around her Pokemon. "I am going to be using Pachirisu and Mamoswine, so let's get training!"

…

"Good job today!" praised Dawn looking at her Pokemon. "You guys aren't weak at all."

A cheer went up from her Pokemon.

"Guys, I think I want to go watch Paul battle Noland," said Dawn quietly.

"Bun Buneary!" cried Buneary angrily.

"Yeah I know he was a jerk but I really want to go watch him. I don't quite know why though."

Dawn fed all of her Pokemon and got ready for the night. A shooting star flashed across the sky. _I wish that I could find out Paul's true feelings for me, _wished Dawn as she closed her eyes.

Dawn woke up late the next morning. "Get up guys," shouted Dawn. "Eat your breakfast then were heading to the Battle Factory to see when Paul is going. I think I am also going to call May."

Dawn returned her Pokemon except for Piplup then took off down the hill running as fast as she could run. _I will change him, I know I will!_

…

Dawn paused and looked down the hill at the small town sprawled in front of her with a huge town in the middle.

"Piplup we made it!" cried Dawn happily, "To the Battle Dome!" Piplup looked at Dawn. "What I want to see when Paul is battling!"

"Piplup!" said Piplup smugly.

"Oh, shut up," Dawn scolded as she knocked on the door.

"Hello, are you hear to challenge the Battle Dome?" asked a tall, dark haired guy.

"No, I was just wondering if you could tell me if a guy named Paul was going to challenge you anytime soon?" asked Dawn shyly.

"Yes, in fact he is challenging tomorrow," said the guy.

"Th-Thanks," muttered Dawn turning towards the Pokemon Center.

Dawn hurried into the Pokemon Center and headed immediately to the phones.

"Piplup Pip?" asked Piplup.

"I've gotta called May," Dawn replied punching the numbers furiously. "Pick up, pick up!"

"Hola Dawn how are you?" san May into the phone.

"You've got to help me!" begged Dawn. "It's Paul."

"No greeting?" asked May putting on a fake pouty face. "Okay what's wrong?"

"One day he's talking to me and telling me his life story and the next he is insulting me and my Pokemon! I don't know what to do!"

"He's probably confused. Most guys are. He can't figure if he likes you or not and if he told you would you turn him down and then on top of that you are a great friend of his number one rival!"

"Wow that's a lot more than I was thinking of," admitted Dawn.

"All guys are like this trust me," said May.

"How would you know?" asked Dawn with a sly smile. "It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain chartreuse haired trainer we all know and love. At least you know and love!"

"I do not love him!" cried May indignantly.

"Sure you don't," said Dawn smugly.

"Who do you not love?' asked Drew walking up behind May.

"She's _claiming_she doesn't love you," said Dawn.

"Oh she knows she can't resist me," said Drew doing his signature hair flick.

"Can to!" said May her face a bright red.

"What were you guys talking about?" questioned Drew sitting down.

"About Paul," said Dawn.

"What are you doing here anyway?" asked May. "Don't you have training or something to do?"

"No, it's much more fun to bother you!" smirked Drew.

"Why must you always be annoying?"

"It helps me sleep better at night!"

"You should go talk to Harley; you would make a great couple!"

"You and Harley would be sooo cute together1"

"Guys," yelled Dawn attempting to get their attention. "Guys!" They completely ignored her. "Shut up you idiots and just kiss already!"

Drew and May turned to look at her, shocked into silence. "Ew!" they cried in unison. "Why would you say that?"

"Because its true and you were helping me!" said Dawn defending herself.

"Okay we will wait till were done!" said Drew.

"Wait for what?" asked Dawn a sly smile on her face. May just glared at her.

"How many ribbons do you have?" asked Drew attempting to change the subject, his face a bright red.

"One," said Dawn knowing exactly what he was doing but going along with it. "What about you guys?"

"We both have one," said Drew glancing at May whose face was still bright red. "What were you talking about Paul for? He's that purple haired guy right?"

"Yeah he's being a real jerk," said Dawn.

"I think I will call him," said Drew.

"Really?" asked Dawn.

"Yeah but I won't tell him why," said Drew. "He doesn't even know me though."

"Thanks Drew!" said Dawn happily. "Good luck!"

…

**Paul's' POV:**

"Hey Paul, you have a call for you," told Nurse Joy walking up.

_I have a call? _thought Paul in surprise. "Okay," he muttered walking up to the monitor. A green haired boy was on the other end. "Who are _you_?" asked Paul rudely.

"I'm Drew," said Drew.

Paul just kept looking at him. "What do you want?" asked Paul glaring at him.

Drew looked back at him steadily. "I'm a friend of Dawn's," said Drew. That was mostly the truth.

"So?" asked Paul.

"Why are you acting like that towards Dawn?" asked Drew.

"She's annoying."

"I think I know why and that's not it."

"How would you know?"

"Because I have the same problem with a girl named May," admitted Drew.

"Why am I supposed to care?" asked Paul.

"Because you may lose your chance!" cried Drew. "I may already have."

Paul gave him a look of respect. This guy doesn't back down. "I'll try to be nicer."

"Good," said Drew.

"You need to talk to May and tell me how it goes," said Paul.

"Okay, you got a deal," replied Drew. The look in his face said mission accomplished. The screen clicked off.

_He's not half bad, _thought Paul walking off with his hands in his pockets.

_**Thanks for all the reviews and if you haven't or already have please review again. It makes me a happier person.**_


	6. The Rivalry begins!

…

**Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I do not own Pokemon!**

Dawn woke up the next morning in her room in the Pokemon Center. "It even feels weird sleeping in these rooms alone," Dawn muttered to Piplup. "Usually Ash, Pikachu, and Brock are in here to."

"Piplup Pip," said Piplup sadly remembering all the great times she had with Pikachu.

"We have to shake it off and stay strong!" cried Dawn. "Do the Battle Dome to watch Paul!"

"Piplup Pip!" cried Piplup mischievously.

"I am not watching him just because I have a crush on him. It is to improve my battling skills!"

"Pip," said Piplup rolling his eyes.

"I didn't mean it that way," said Dawn throwing a pillow at Piplup and knocking it off the bed. "I need to find a better traveling partner than a cheeky Piplup," said Dawn heading off for breakfast.

…

Dawn walked into the Battle Dome and stared around in awe. It was a huge circle shape with the ceiling open for sky battles to. Dawn hurried over to the stands as a door in the back opened and the same man walked in from yesterday.

"Hey, aren't you that girl that came by here yesterday?" asked the man.

Dawn nodded shyly. "What's your name?"

"I am Noland the leader of the Battle Factory. What is your name?"

"You're the leader?" Dawn stared at him in shock.

"Yeah, what did you think I was? Anyways what is your name? You haven't told me yet!"

"My name is Dawn. I traveled with Ash when he challenged the Sinnoh League and did the Johto Battle Frontier."

"What are _you _doing here?" asked Paul walking into the gym.

"Oh, hey Paul!" cried Dawn happily, "I came to watch your gym battle!"

"Fine you can watch, but don't wear that stupid cheerleading outfit," said Paul roughly heading towards the field.

Dawn watched as Paul headed to the field. _Why doesn't he like my cheerleading outfit? _Dawn wandered. _I mean come on; it's just a tiny of skirt as this one! I was hoping he would like it._ Dawn snapped her attention back to the field as the referee walked out onto the field.

"This will be a one on one battle between Paul the challenger and Noland, the leader of the Battle Factory," called the referee. "Let the battle begin!"

"Go Venesaur!" cried Noland.

"Go Magmortar," said Paul casually flicking his Pokeball. "Use fire blast now." Fire shot out of Magmortar and headed straight towards Venesaur.

"Use frenzy plant!" ordered Noland. Vines shot out of the ground and blocked most of the fire from coming through.

"That was a pitiful attempt," Paul said rudely staring at Noland, "Magmortar use fire spin." The fire shot out of Magmortar and began circling around Venesaur at incredible speed.

Dawn watched in horror as Paul gave another command and a fire blast flew into the fire spin which now more closely resembled a tornado. "Paul don't hurt it any worse!" screamed dawn leaping up in the stands.

"Don't worry Dawn," said Noland. "Venesaur use solar beam." With it being so hot in the stadium already the solar beam flew out of the fire destroying the tornado.

"Use smog and dodge," ordered Paul calmly. Purple smoke filled the arena making it hard to seen anything.

"Let's finish with a fire punch Magmortar, prove your worthy," ordered Paul gazing angrily at his Pokemon. "We should have been done with this battle already." The fire punch connected with the already poisoned Venesaur, knocking it out.

"Venesaur is unable to battle, Magmortar wins, the victory goes to Paul the challenger!" called the referee waving his flag.

"Good try Venesaur, you did awesome," sighed Noland returning Venesaur. Turning to Paul he held out the Knowledge Symbol and said, "Great battle, you earned this."

Paul took the Symbol without saying a word and turned to leave. Dawn raced towards and Paul and yelled, "Paul, say thank you now!"

**Paul's POV:**

Paul turned to her, shock coursing through him. Did this girl just order him to do something? He stared at her angrily. She returned his gaze until he broke away.

"Fine," he muttered, "Thank you."

Noland nodded at him and then tried to secretly wink at Dawn, but Paul saw it. _What was that about, _he wondered, _does she really like me like Drew said? No, that can't be._

Paul marched out of the gym and waved to Dawn to follow. Paul leaned against the wall outside and waited for Dawn. A few minutes later Dawn walked out of the dome, a faint red tinge to her cheeks.

"Why did you do that?" yelled Paul angrily as soon as she appeared. "Ordering me around like that, you had no right to and you are nowhere near my level to give me orders, and neither is that guy!"

Dawn's face turned an angry red. "Noland is one of the nicest guys I met! He talks to me like I actually have a brain, not like I am a person worth nothing. He even calls me by my name!" Dawn had tears streaming down her face.

Paul stared at her. _Do I really act like that towards her? Troublesome isn't that bad of a nickname. That retard Ash calls that redhead Mist, what's so bad about it, unless she considers it as an insult? _"Why did you even show up?" he yelled angrily without even thinking. "If you hate me so much why did you take the time out of your trouble to follow me to the Battle Dome? Did you just come here to yell at me?"

"You know what, I came here to support you!" replied Dawn her breath coming out in ragged gasps. "Friends should support each other, and since you are obviously lacking in that apartment I was trying to help. If you don't want me here though you should just leave, I just wish you acted more like you brother!"

That one hurt. She knew exactly what buttons to push. "You followed me here like a stalker and won't leave me alone!"

Suddenly he heard a new voice behind him. "Dawn, are you okay?" called a spiky, brown haired boy running over to Dawn. "Why are you crying?"

"Gary!" cried Dawn happily throwing her arms around the boy.

_Gary? _Thought Paul, _who the heck is that?_

…

**If you guys could tell me the name of the Gary and dawn shipping it would help. Please review. I would really like 20 reviews! **


	7. Hate and Heartbreak

**Hey thanks to my reviewers! **

**Warning: MAJOR CAVALIERSHIPPING!**

Paul glared at the Gary guy in front of him. _Who did he think he was? Marching in here and acting like he and Dawn were best friends. _Paul watched as Gary drew a Kleenex from his pocket and began wiping away her tears.

Gary turned around to face Paul. "What did you say to her?" he demanded glaring at Paul.

Paul glared back at him steadily. "What does it matter to you?"

"She is my best girlfriend!" exclaimed Gary angrily. Paul was pretty sure Gary met girlfriend and not just a friend that is a girl.

"What we were talking about is not of your business so just leave and jump off a cliff or something!"

"Not with the way you are treating Dawn, she deserves much better and since Ash doesn't like her maybe I should!"

"Hey, you know I didn't disappear!" sniffle Dawn, finally having gotten rid of the tears.

"Are you okay Dawn?" asked Gary worriedly, totally forgetting about Paul. Gary put his arm protectively over her shoulder and whispered something in her ear that got a faint smile.

_How come I never get her to smile? She looks so damn hot when she smiles! What if she is better off with Gary? _With that thought, Paul angrily shoved his hands into his pockets and stalked off, heading for the Pokemon Center.

Paul felt loneliness for the first time since Reggie left begin to creep over him. Paul had no one to talk to, no one to give him advice; he was completely and utterly alone. He considered calling Reggie but the last time he called he had caught him and Maylene making out and personally didn't want to see that again. Drew, he would call Drew.

Heading over to the monitors he suddenly remembered he didn't know where Drew was, oh well.

Paul was heading outside when he heard two loud squeals behind him. It was Dawn and that red headed Gym Leader. _I have got to start remembering these people's names. _He ducked down behind a plant and began to listen.

"Gary kissed you?" squealed the red head into the phone.

"Yep, it felt awesome!" sighed Dawn happily.

_Gary had kissed her!_ Paul felt anger begin to creep through him. _Why do I feel so angry? She doesn't matter to me; the only thing that matters is winning._

"You didn't puke?" wondered Misty. "Are you to dating now?"

"I hope so! He is so sweet and really seems to care for me."

"Wait a minute," said Misty, "What happened that you two saw each other again?"

"I had gone to watch Paul's Battle Factory battle and he started screaming at me outside. No one had ever hurt me that much with words before."

_I hurt her that much? I have really got to start thinking before I speak._

"Hey, I can come clean his clock for you if you want me to," offered Misty. "I really feel like a good fight."

"Misty, I thought you had learned your lesson after we through your mallet out! Anyways I got to go; I need to get to Tumbleweed Town for my contest."

"Okay," sighed Misty dramatically, "back to the boring life of a Gym Leader!"

"Oh yeah," replied Dawn sarcastically, "being the best gym leader in Kanto must be a real drag!"

"I do miss traveling though," said Misty daydreaming.

"More like Ash!" laughed Dawn.

Paul growled. They weren't saying anything good anymore except for the fact that the redhead was in love with Ash. They deserved each other. Paul stood up and left the Pokemon Center, heading for the next Battle Frontier facility dejectedly.

"Hey, Paul," said a voice behind Paul.

Paul spun around into the face of Gary. "What do you want?"

"I just wanted to tell you to leave Dawn alone from now on. Were dating," he said smugly.

"From what I heard you are dating yet."

"We will be when I go to meet her. Hope I'm not stepping on any toes," said Gary.

"Like you care, just leave me alone!"

"I will care if I ever see your face around her again!" called Gary as Paul walked off his face heated.

_Who did that jerk think he was? Yelling at me and then accusing me of liking Dawn! Well he was going to get it that was for sure!_

…

**Dawn's POV:**

Dawn skipped happily back to the Pokemon Center excitedly. "I got a boyfriend, I got a boyfriend!"

"Will you hurry up?" asked Gary walking up behind her and putting his arms around her shoulders.

"Yeah give me five minutes to pack!"

"If you are out here in five minutes I will be shocked!" laughed Gary.

"Wanna bet?" Dawn's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Sure, loser kisses the winner!"

You're on," agreed Gary.

Dawn ran out of the Pokemon Center 10 minutes later. "Darn I lost."

Gary stepped up and kissed her while wrapping his strong arms around her shoulders. Dawn eagerly kissed him back and they stood like that for a couple minutes.

"No more bets or we will never make it to your contest on time!" laughed Gary pulling away and grabbing Dawn's hand. Dawn giggled and leaned against his shoulder.

"Let's go," she agreed.

…

**Paul's POV:**

Paul glanced down at his map and growled angrily. Why the heck did Tumbleweed Town have to be so close to the Battle Arena? It would be almost impossible to avoid those two. It was bad enough seeing his brother make out with Maylene; he really didn't want to see Gary and Dawn. He angrily let out his Pokemon to eat real quickly. "Hurry up and eat you losers then I will train you to see if your worth keeping." His Pokemon currently on his team were Torterra, Magmortar, Nidoking, Electabuzz, Weaville, and a Totodile.

His Pokemon quickly ate their food to avoid getting yelled at more than lined up.

"Totodile steps forward, everybody else aim your attacks you take it." He had captured Totodile because of its strong torrent but was now having his doubts. The attacks flashed out at Totodile who began to dodge. "Take it," he growled angrily. Totodile glanced at him nervously and began taking the attacks. After a little while he began to glow blue and threw out a powerful hydro pump. "I'll keep you," he muttered angrily, returning all of his Pokemon to their Pokeball's.

Later that night Paul arrived in Tumbleweed Town. "Great they are going to be here somewhere."

As Paul turned a corner and headed towards the Pokemon Center for a place to stay the night he heard a low moaning. Gary and Dawn were making out against the wall. Gary came up for air and saw Paul looking at them. He winked them pressed his lips against Dawn's again.

Paul's face heated up again and he stormed to the Pokemon Center. _Why did I have to walk in on that? I would rather her be dating anyone else except for that jerk! _

"Give me a room," growled Paul angrily, slapping his hand on the counter.

"Here you go," said the Nurse Joy, giving him a weird look.

"What," he said looking at her.

"Nothing," said Nurse Joy quickly. "I was just wondering why you were in such a bad mood. A chartreuse haired boy called and asked to talk to someone who fits your description. Here's the number to call him back if you want."

Paul took the number and shoved it into his pocket. He could talk to Drew later.

"He did day it was urgent," said Nurse Joy timidly.

"I will call him tomorrow!" yelled Paul attracting the attention of everybody in the Pokemon Center.

"Sorry," Nurse Joy looked at him worriedly.

He stormed off, his mind still on Dawn and Gary.

**Please review and tell me what you think! I want 20 reviews still; I only got three last chapter. Next chapter will be up soon!**


	8. Shocking Revelations

**Thanks for all the reviews. You guys are awesome!**

**Paul's POV:**

I stood up grumpily and trudged out of his room. I wanted to see Dawn but definitely not Gary, but the world seemed to be against me since I saw them giggling on one of the couches in the lobby. I walked slowly over to one of the monitors to call Drew. Unfortunately he picked up immediately.

"What the heck did you say to Dawn you idiot?" shouted Drew.

"Not even a hello?" I grumbled to him as he glared at me out of the monitor.

"No, you say you are going to try to talk Dawn, but I didn't mean it like that!"

"She got on my nerves," I replied, feeling angry at Drew, "so I told her what I felt. Decides it doesn't matter, she is dating Gary now anyway." I made Gary sound like a swear word.

"You have to be the biggest fuckin idiot I have ever met!"

"Thanks, that made me feel loads better," I replied sarcastically.

"Sorry, you are probably the dumbest person I have ever met though. How are you going to get her back?"

"I have no idea. How did you know about this anyway?"

"May came into our room screaming about how horrible of a person you were and that she wished you would drop dead."

"Your room?" I asked a rare smile appearing on my face.

"Oh shut up," said Drew his face beginning to turn red. "We sorted out are differences and are dating now. You should go to the contest to watch Dawn and hope for the best. Keep me updated!"

"Why are you in such a hurry? Oh," I said as May appeared attempting to drag Drew away.

"Why are you talking to that jerk Drew?" asked May angrily. Turning to Paul she added, "If you hurt Dawn at all you had better learn to sleep with your eyes open because me and Misty won't rest until we find you!" With that she spun on her heel and dragged Drew after her. Drew gave me an apologetic smile as he turned off the phone.

I turned away. There was no way I was scared of any girls. Well, maybe a little scared of Misty, but I won't go into that now. Listening to Drew's advice I slowly headed towards the Contest Hall. People were milling around me followed by their pathetic looking Pokemon. One of them was Dawn.

"Pachirisu use last resort and Mamoswine use ancient power," she called happily twirling around. Her formfitting clothes showed off her curves perfectly. _Stop thinking about that! She already has a boyfriend!_

Gary stood next to her whispering in her ear. She giggled and hugged him before returning Pachirisu and Mamoswine and hurrying off. Gary began to round up her other Pokemon, dressed in cheerleading outfits. He looked up and scanned the people as if looking for someone. He locked eyes with me and gave me a huge smirk before flipping me off. Deciding to be the bigger person for once in my life I ignored him and walked on. I would deal with him later.

**Dawn's POV:**

I sat backstage nervously twirling my hands back and forth as Zoey finished up her appeal.

"What a beautiful appeal by Zoey and her Shellos!" cried Lillian happily. "Now let's welcome our next coordinator Dawn!"

I hurried out on to stage and scanned the audience until I spotted Gary and my Pokemon cheering happily. I gave them a quick wave then released Pachirisu.

"Pachirisu use sweet kiss then discharge!" Pachirisu let loose a sweet kiss that floated in to the sky that exploded into bright pink dust after hit by the discharge! "Now use a super fang and spark combo!" Pachirisu extended its teeth as the spark floated around it, showing off Pachirisu. "Now finish it up with last resort!" The stars floated around Pachirisu creating a fine golden spiral that exploded brilliantly win hit by the remnants of the spark.

"What a beautiful appeal by a very well trained Pachirisu!" said Jillian happily

The judges agreed and gave me some quick compliments as I ran off the stage waving happily as Pachirisu followed me.

Gary met me backstage and gave me a hug. "I am so proud of you Dawn that was beautiful!" said Gary still holding me.

I smiled up at him. "I just hope it was good enough," I said worriedly as the last contestant of the day, Kenny, finished his appeal.

"We are all done and here are the eight contestants moving on to the second round!" announced Jillian.

I struggled out of Gary's arms and watched the screen. My picture popped up second! "Yes," I cried jumping up and down.

"Now let's see our second round matchups!" Lillian gestured to the screen as the pictures shuffled. I was in the first round. With a quick kiss to Gary, I gave him Pachirisu's Pokeball and sprinted off towards the stage.

"Five minutes on the clock, let the battle begin!" announced Lillian.

I quickly sized up my opponent, it was a young boy, probably his first contest, and it wouldn't be too hard. "I choose you, Mamoswine!" Mamoswine hopped out of its Pokeball and let out a mighty roar. My opponent looked at Mamoswine nervously and released a charmander.

"Charmander use flamethrower!" said the boy. The charmander began to flip and the flamethrower spiraled out around it. I thought it was a very good first attempt.

"Mamoswine use hidden power!" Bright, white circles formed around Mamoswine then fired at Charmander, completely knocking the flamethrower away and hitting perfectly. "Finish it off with ancient power!" Rocks flew up and Charmander square on, knocking it out. Three xs' flashed across the scoreboard.

"Charmander is unable to continue Dawn will be moving on to the semifinals!" announced Lillian.

I beat my next opponent and was getting ready to head out for the final round against Kenny. With a good luck kiss from Gary I headed out.

"Hey Dee Dee, who is your boyfriend?" asked Kenny.

"His name is Gary," I muttered as Lillian began her announcements.

"I thought you were dating Paul," said Kenny, ignoring Lillian.

"Nope, he is a jerk!" I yelled the last word a little louder than she meant to.

"You aren't going to last long Dee Dee, I need my first ribbon."

There were thirty seconds left on the clock as a tired Breloom and Mamoswine faced each other. Kenny was way ahead of Dawn in points. In one last desperate rally I ordered an ancient power.

"Use brick break to destroy the rocks!" ordered Kenny. The brick break through the rocks to the ground as the buzzer went off

"Time is up, and the winner is Kenny!" announced Lillian as Kenny's and Breloom's pictures flashed across the board.

I forced a smile as I returned Mamoswine. "Congratulations Kenny."

"I was awesome wasn't I?" said Kenny heading up to get his ribbon.

I walked back into staging and was surprised not to see Gary. Shrugging I headed outside and saw Gary and Paul facing each other angrily. "What's going on guys?"

"Oh hey Dawn, are you okay?" asked Gary worriedly.

Paul threw out a Pokeball and a Totodile appeared. "Let's battle!"

Gary threw out a Pokeball and Umbreon appeared. "Use shadow ball!"

"Hydro pump," ordered Paul.

I ran out in front in an attempt to stop the attacks. I felt them hit and the world went black.

**Yeah I am done! Did I do a better job on the contests? I start school Monday so I maybe slow in updating. Please review!**


	9. White Horse

**Yay, I am back! Sorry it took so long!**

**I do not own the song White Horse, Taylor Swift does. Please tell me what you think, it is my first songfic! Watch the music video first, it will help you understand.**

**Dawn's POV:**

I was standing in a beautiful flower field, my arms wrapped around my boyfriend as I kissed him passionately. My hands knotted tightly into his hair as I whispered to him, "I love you Paul." My blood turned to ice as I said this. _How could I be kissing Paul and telling him I love him? I was dating Gary and was blissfully happy._

I flew bolt upright in bed my heart racing. _It was just a dream,_ I thought happily. _None of it was real._ I looked around expecting Gary to be there like he had been since the accident a week ago. Disappointment hit me as I couldn't see Gary anywhere. I couldn't blame him, it was probably very boring sitting with me while I slept. Just then the doctor walked in.

"I see you are awake Dawn," said the doctor. "We were starting to get worried about you, you have been unconscious for three days!"

_I had been out of it for three days! _"When will I get released?"

"When we are sure you are out of danger," replied the doctor. "Make sure you take these pills."

"Okay," I sighed, grabbing the pills and taking them as quickly as I could. Once the doctor had left my thoughts drifted back to my dream and Paul.

…

**A week later:**

"I raced out of the hospital as fast as I could, joy flooding through me. My quest to become the greatest Coordinator ever would soon come true. Gary and I, traversing Kanto, my Pokemon at my side, what could be better than that?

"Hey Dawn," said Gary spotting me as I headed over, "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Just got to figure out where the next contest is."

"Already figured it out, were going to Vermillion City!"

I looked at him lovingly, he was the best.

"I love you Gary," I said laying my head on his shoulder. Gary just smiled back at me.

**Misty's POV: **

I stared at the wall of the gym in shock after me talk with Paul. Was Gary really capable of cheating on Dawn? He seemed like a good guy and was one of Ash's best friends. Paul swore that he was telling the truth though, and for some strange reason I believed him. That sincere look in his eyes told me everything.

"Hey Daisy I am going to Vermillion City!" I called loudly, grabbing some of my Pokeballs and Azurill. "Watch the gym until I get back!" Without waiting for a response I disappeared out the door without waiting for a response.

**Dawns' POV:**

I was thrilled to be in Vermillion City for the first time, and man was it beautiful! Although having Gary by my side helped. We had just gone on the most wonderful date yet, and I felt as if I was floating on air.

**Begin Song:**

_Say you're sorry  
That face of an angel comes out  
Just when you need it to  
As I pace back and forth all this time  
'Cause I honestly believed in you  
Holding on,  
The days drag on  
Stupid girl  
I should have known, I should have known_

I felt tears spring to my eyes as I leaned against the wall. "Gary!" I sobbed tears running fast and hard down my cheeks. My heart felt as if it had been shattered. Every lie he told me I had eaten up. I stood up and began pacing back and forth across my room, sobs racking me.

_  
That I'm not a princess  
This ain't a fairytale  
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet  
Lead her up the stairwell  
This ain't Hollywood,  
This is a small town  
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down  
Now its too late for you and your White Horse,  
To come around._

My thoughts flashed back to all my wonderful memories. _Gary and I were laying on the beach holding hands as we watched our Pokemon play. He was whispering softly into my ear as I giggled back at him. _

"_Dawn you are the most important thing in my life," said Gary softly. _

"_I love you Gary," I said, meaning it. He just smiled at me._

I began to sob again.

_Baby I was naíve,  
Got lost in your eyes  
I never really had a chance,  
I had so many dreams about you and me.  
Happy endings  
Now I know_

I had been surprised to see Misty in Vermillion City, her face full of fack cheerfulness. Gary had left to go 'shopping' and she decided we should go out to lunch. Following her into the sandwich shop I began to tell her about Gary.

"He makes me feel that I am the most important person on the Earth. He gives me everything I could ever want and I love him with all my heart."

Misty looked at me, her face full of sadness and pity. "Dawn, I have to tell you something."

_  
I'm not a princess, This ain't a fairytale  
I'm not the one you'll sweep off her feet  
Lead her up the stairwell  
This ain't Hollywood,  
This is a small town  
I was a dreamer before you went and let me down  
Now its too late for you and your White Horse,  
To come around._

My sobs were shaking me so hard now that I could hardly breathe. Misty had been right, Gary was cheating on me.

My thought went back to me walking towards the store Gary had said he would be at. I saw him and a girl walking down the street holding hands, coming towards me. He stopped in shock at seeing me standing there. My thoughts were the same. The girl looked between the two of us, shock on her face to.

_  
And there you are on your knees  
Begging for forgiveness,  
Begging for me  
Just like I always wanted,  
But I'm so sorry_

I heard a knock on my door. "Dawn it is me, let me in!" said Gary. I cracked open the door.

"Go away!" I growled but I kept the door open.

"Dawn do you love me?" asked Gary, standing there.

"Yes," I whispered, struggling to get rid of my tears.

"Do you forgive me?" he asked, giving me my favorite look.

"No," I said, shutting the door.

_  
Cause I'm not your princess  
This ain't our fairytale  
I'm gonna find someone, someday  
Who might actually treat me well.  
This is a big world,  
That was a small town  
There in my rear view mirror,  
Disappearing now.  
And it's too late for you and your White Horse  
Now its too late for you and your White Horse  
To catch me now._

Gary pounded on my door, "Dawn you are making a huge mistake, the other girl means nothing to me!"

"That's the problem Gary!" I screamed. "Nobody means anything to you. You are a player and will always be one!"

Oh whoa whoa whoa-oh  
Try and catch me now  
Oh  
It's too late  
To catch me now.

My knees crumbled beneath me as I collapsed in my bed crying. _Why did I have to pick such a loser? Would all guys treat me like that? Was I just destined to get thrown around from guy to guy, nobody actually loving me?_

I heard a knock on my door. Wiping my tears away I got up and yelled, "Gary go away, I hate your guts!" My voice broke on the last word, as more sobs escaped me.

"Dawn it's me," I heard a familiar gruff voice come from the other side.

I opened the door to see Paul standing there and as I broke down in sobs, he held me.

**Tell me what you think! With school it is really hard to update. Please take my poll if you haven't. This one took me forever, lots of revising. I need five reviews before I update.**


	10. Recovery, Promises and Flashback

**Yay! Another chapter! Thanks for the reviews guys, you are awesome! PADL major in this chapter! Gary may return but may not leave in good health (evil laughs)!**

**Regular POV:**

Paul stared down at Dawn as he held her, an unsure look on his face. Leading her over to the bed; he sat her down and held her gently. "Dawn, are you okay? What happened?" asked Paul quietly.

"No," she cried, burying her head into his side.

"What happened?" he asked, rubbing her back gently as he caressed her head. Using his shirt he gently began to wipe the tears off her face.

"Ga- Ga- Gary!" she cried bawling harder. She began to hiccup from sobbing so hard. She hated showing so much weakness in front of people.

Paul stared at her before shaking her gently. "Dawn get a hold of yourself!" he said gruffly, "Gary is a jerk and you deserve someone so much better."

"I want- I wish that I had never gone out with Gary!" Dawn cried, beginning to cry again.

"Don't regret someone that made you happy, even if it was only for a little while," said Paul quietly.

Dawn began to choke off some of her sobs as she stared at him, her eyes full of wonder. "Wow," said Dawn, for once at a loss of words.

"What?" asked Paul, looking at Dawn, confusion on his face.

"That sounded pretty smart, a change at least coming from you," said Dawn, attempting at a joke.

Paul reached forward and wiped the last of the tears off of her face. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah," said Dawn, stifling a yawn. Leaning her head back onto her pillow, she prepared to fall asleep.

"Sweet dreams Dawn," whispered Paul quietly, staring at her face.

"Please don't leave," she mumbled quietly.

"I won't," whispered Paul, heading over to a chair.

He watched Dawn began to breathe evenly, a sign that she had fallen asleep.

…

Dawn woke up the next morning, hoping that last night was a dream. That she would wake up to find that she and Gary were still together. Much to her disappointment, and maybe a little relief, she saw Paul sleeping in the chair, his head lolled to the side, snoring softly.

Piplup walked over to her. "Piplup Pip?" he asked, concern showing on his face.

"I am going to be okay," said Dawn flashing a quick glance over at the sleeping form of Paul, "now."

"Piplup," said Piplup knowingly, walking away.

Paul began to stir in the chair. Dawn glanced at him and said quietly, "Morning Paul."

"Morning Dawn, you look horrible," said Paul yawning tiredly.

Dawn's eyes began to fill with tears and Paul instantly felt terrible. "Dawn I didn't mean it that way," said Paul, starting to walk over to her.

Dawn collapsed on the bed, tears beginning to stream down her face, her body retching in sobs. "Gary!" she screamed.

"Dawn calm down!" said Paul grabbing her shoulders comfortingly, "You are better off without Gary!"

"No I am not!" sobbed Dawn, burying her head in his chest, "I thought he loved me! He is the only one that I will ever love!"

"That asshole," muttered Paul to himself, to Dawn he added, "Prove him wrong, that you do not love him anymore; that you have moved on!"

"Okay," sobbed Dawn, attempting to regain control.

"You need to shower and get something to eat, I will be back," ordered Paul, letting go of her. To Piplup he added, "Keep an eye on her."

"Piplup," he nodded, patting his trainer on the back.

Paul headed out of the door, attempting to keep his anger under control. _How could anyone do that? _He raged silently to himself, remembering a piece of his child.

He had been only four when it had happened. _He had been playing silently with his action heroes in his room when he heard the front door open. "Where are you?" he heard his father yell. Paul snuck silently to the door of his bedroom and glanced warily down the hall. He saw his father swagger into his sight, causing him to shrink farther back._

"_Hi Tom," said Paul's mother. "How was your day?"_

"_Don't even try that bitch;" said Tom, "I know exactly what you were doing."_

_His mom bowed his head and said something inaudible. _

"_Do you know what our son was doing?" asked Tom._

"_No," shook his mom's head sadly. _

_His dad disappeared and returned a moment later, holding Reggie by the scruff of the shirt. "Your son was with them again," said Tom, throwing Reggie to the ground. A strong smell hit Paul, but he couldn't identify what it was. Tom kicked Reggie in the side, bringing tears to his eyes._

_His mom knelt down next to Reggie, rubbing his head. "He is just being a kid," said his mom._

"_Emma, he is my son, he lives in my house, he will follow my rules, now where is that other son of mine?" Tom turned towards Paul._ Paul shook his head, trying to chase away that memory. He promised himself that Dawn would have a better life, if it was the last thing he did.

**Okay no Gary but maybe later. Sorry about the wait, with school, sports and friends not much time. I will hopefully be updating my other stories soon. I want to figure how to help save the mustangs and wolves so if you have any ideas please tell me!**


	11. The Diary

**Okay, on with the next chapter and I have decided that I own Pokemon! JK, I don't really! The song also belongs to Taylor Swift!**

**Normal POV:**

"Hey Dawn can I come in?" asked Misty, knocking on the door.

The door opened to reveal a happy looking Dawn, "Hey Misty!"

Misty scanned her friend with a critical eye. She couldn't believe that she could be happy after finding out about Gary. "Hey, how are you? Can you help me with my Pokemon battle moves?" asked Dawn hurriedly.

"That can wait till later," said Misty, sitting down in a chair. "I came to make sure you were alright after everything that happened between you and Gary."

Dawn waved the comment off with a flick of her hand. "I'm fine, he is not that important," she said breezily with a forced smile. Dawn's phone went off, "Hey can you excuse me for a moment?" Dawn hurried out of the room as Misty stood up. Looting around Dawn's bag she pulled out her diary and flipped to the latest entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_Hey I really don't know if I well ever feel again. My heart feels as if it was torn out of my chest. I gave Gary my best, how could he take my love and throw it out. Geez, I stole those lines from a song. Anyways, here is a song that echoes my feelings: _

_Why would you wanna break a perfectly good heart?  
Why would you wanna take our love and tear it all apart,now?  
Why would you wanna make the very first scar?  
Why would you wanna break a perfectly good heart?_

_That sounds about right doesn't it? Gary is lucky he is not here right now, I would kill him I think! As soon as I shut the door on Gary, I felt like I had just died and been reborn a different person. I guess I have been living in a bubble for a while, blocking out all the bad stuff and just enjoying the good. Arceus! Now I feel so selfish for worrying about myself while there are plenty people going through true life-threatening experiences. Just when I needed one the most, I was sent an angel in the most unlikely form, Paul. He comforted me through the night, helping me deal. Misty was wrong, there is good in Paul._

Misty looked up from the journal, her mind racing. Paul had come last night? He had helped Dawn? Misty flipped back through the pages, skimming for information.

_Dear Diary,_

_Gary is the best thing that has ever happened to me! Being with him makes me forget about my troubles, and most of all, about Paul. His sad face echoes through my mind though, of the glimpses I have had of him. His pain slices into, for reasons I do not understand. What is it with Paul that makes me feel this way? Gary is acting as if Paul does not exist. I just go along with it; I mean why not, Gary is my boyfriend? Well I guess that is it. Oh, BTW I talked to May yesterday, she and Drew are officially together! I am so happy for her, now all we got to do is work on Misty and Ash! Ash is probably the densest person I have ever met, although maybe not anymore than me._

Misty glanced up from reading, anger visible on her face. She did not need help in the romance department! She and Ash would go out if it was the last thing she did! Anyway, what did she mean by 'just going along with it'? Was Gary really controlling her? Walking over to the door, Misty leaned against the door, listening for Dawn. Her voice still echoed around the hallway as she talked to her mother. Letting out a quick breath, Misty scanned for another entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_Why was Paul so angry today? I was just congratulating him on his win and he just went off the deep end. For some reason it hurt, why does Paul affect me this way when Kenny, Barry and Ash don't? I wish you could talk back to me, but at least this is something. Gary ran over to help me, probably thoroughly pissing of Paul. This somewhat embarrassed me as I do not need protection and I was trying to prove to Paul that I was different. Guess that didn't work out to well, huh? Gary is sweet, kind and caring, perfect material for my first boyfriend I think! Well that's all, See Ya!!_

This wasn't helping at all, just filling in the past! Without warning, the door opened, revealing a happy but soon to be very angry Dawn!

"Misty what do you think you are doing?" cried Dawn, running over and snatching the diary away. "That is my property!"

"Sorry Dawn," Misty cried, cowering away from her friend.

"Leave," ordered Dawn, pointing to the door.

Misty sighed and got up. "I'll leave Dawn, but just so you know, if you like Paul that much I will support you. Anyways I think he may like you back." Misty opened the door and left the room to run into Paul, attempting to hide outside the door.

"Sorry," he muttered glancing at Misty quickly. "Is Dawn in there?"

"Yes," whispered Misty, nodding at the door she added, "Please talk to her; I made her even more upset."

Paul glanced at her, something different in his eyes. "I'll try, she is very hard to convince sometimes." He gave something of a laugh as Misty walked off.

Misty glanced back behind her as Paul hugged Dawn and disappeared into her room. She just might get to like that boy, just maybe!

**Thanks to everybody for my reviews! Everybody please review, not just add me to favorite, even if it is just "I like it" or "Good".**

**Thanks to Huge Pokefan, Suigestu-is-da-bomb, PerlaNemesis, IkariLover13, YingandYang325 and Mistali for reviewing! I love you all!**


	12. Unforseen Danger

**Hey everybody, know it had been a while but with school and everything I have been real busy, also a bad case of writer's block. I hope you all like this chapter and I will be writing more, I kinda promise. Thanks for all the reviews and please review for this chapter! ;)**

**Paul's POV:**

I followed Dawn into her room, seeing anger in her every movement. "What happened Dawn?" I asked as she sat down, hurt visible in her eyes. "I don't like seeing you like this."

Dawn whirled around, her eyes blazing. "Why does it matter to you?" she screamed, tears beginning to pour down her face. She then collapsed onto her bed, sobbing.

"Dawn, please," I whispered desperately, rubbing her back softly. "Whatever happened, it is not as bad as it seems."

"Yes it is! I have been betrayed by one of my best friends in the world."

I attempted to put my hand on her shoulder when, without warning, she slapped it with surprising force. "Ow!" I cried, holding my hand.

The anger faded out of Dawn's eyes as she realized what she did. "Paul, I am so sorry!"

My eyes softened as I saw the horror in her eyes. "Please Dawn, tell me what happened."

She grabbed my hand to inspect it, carefully keeping her eyes diverted from my face. "When Misty was here, she saw my diary and read some of it. Some of it was really personal and she shouldn't have read it."

"She wasn't trying to hurt you," I told her gently, staring deep into her eyes. A little quieter I added, "What did she read?" My heart pounded in my chest waiting for her reply.

"I wish I could tell you, I really do," said Dawn, returning my gaze. "How many symbols do you have right now?" she asked, changing the subject.

"One, how many ribbons do you have?" I asked, trying to keep her talking.

"One," she sighed, staring at the floor for a minute. "I really need to get back on my journey. We need to accomplish our dreams."

This was the opening I wanted. Taking a deep breath and summoning the last of my courage, more than I thought I would need. "Dawn, I was thinking, since we both have a ways to go to collect what we need to win, how about…"

"How about what?" she asked, looking at me with her beautiful blue eyes.

"How about we travel together?" I blurted out, becoming suddenly interested by my shoe. Or that is what I would have said if I had not been so afraid, Instead I said a quick goodbye and dashed out of her room and outside the Pokemon Center, thoughts racing through my head. _Why would Dawn want to travel with me, the jerk who never once said something nice to her? The jerk that made fun of her friends and her; the jerk that, according to her, did not treat his Pokemon how they should be treated? The boy that looks horrible compared to Reggie. _Rage filled me as I stared around, at the world and at myself.

**Dawn's POV:**

I stared in confusion as Paul raced out of my room. _I hope he is okay, he really is sweet, I just wish he would show it more. _

"Oh well, Piplup are you ready to head to the next contest?" I asked Piplup, staring at the mess of my room. "I just have to put everything out of my mind and concentrate on winning the Kanto Grand Festival!"

"Piplup-Pip," said Piplup standing up and strutting around the room.

"Okay," I said as I began shoving everything into my suitcase. "If I see Paul I will ask him what's up, but I don't have time for all of this drama." _Even if the drama happens to be a very cute boy with some problems but I happen to care for more than is probably healthy for me._

After packing all of my stuff and heading out onto the road for Greenday Town where Nurse Joy had told me the next contest would be held. I had almost paused at the phones to call May and talk to her, but I had seen Misty in the lobby so decided against it. I felt kinda bad that I had blown up on her, but I was good at holding grudges and well, I still acted childish from time to time so why stop now.

I was passing a lake when I saw Paul swimming with some of his Pokemon. His muscles rippled and his scars barely showed as he trained. "Torterra use Frenzy Plant," ordered Paul as huge vines burst form the ground and shot up into the air, catching his Gligar. "Gligar use Fire Fang," Gligar flew out of them and bit Torterra since Torterra couldn't move."

"Hi Paul," I waved as I walked by, blushing as he stood up, his abs very cute. "Are you getting ready for your next Battle Frontier challenge?"

He looked at me, his eyes guarded, "Yeah I am, you going to your next contest?"

I was a bit surprised that he was making small talk with me this easily. "Yes, at Greenday Town. Have fun training your Pokemon, they are looking good!" I meant it for his Pokemon but I was staring at him so I turned my face away really fast, hoping he didn't see me blushing.

Paul began blushing to and stepped back into the water. "See you around Dawn," Paul told me turning back to his Pokemon.

"See you Paul," I murmured walking off down the path. After a while I was getting tired and decided to sit down for a rest. I ate and was just laying back to rest when three huge guys walked over to me.

"Well what do we have here," they said as I stared at them, fear washing over me.

**Well not as long as I wanted but the next chapter will be up soon! I have a new story I am working on and also off topic, I cannot wait for ****The Last Airbender**** movie. Thanks for reading and please review!**


	13. Knight in Shining Armor!

**Hey I am back. Sorry it took so long! I think this chapter is pretty good!**

_I was passing a lake when I saw Paul swimming with some of his Pokemon. His muscles rippled and his scars barely showed as he trained. "Torterra use Frenzy Plant," ordered Paul as huge vines burst from the ground and shot up into the air, catching his Gligar. "Gligar use Fire Fang," Gligar flew out of them and bit Torterra since Torterra couldn't move."_

"_Hi Paul," I waved as I walked by, blushing as he stood up, his abs very cute. "Are you getting ready for your next Battle Frontier challenge?"_

_He looked at me, his eyes guarded, "Yeah I am, you going to your next contest?" _

_I was a bit surprised that he was making small talk with me this easily. "Yes, at Greenday Town. Have fun training your Pokemon, they are looking good!" I meant it for his Pokemon but I was staring at him so I turned my face away really fast, hoping he didn't see me blushing._

_Paul began blushing to and stepped back into the water. "See you around Dawn," Paul told me turning back to his Pokemon. _

"_See you Paul," I murmured walking off down the path. After a while I was getting tired and decided to sit down for a rest. I ate and was just laying back to rest when three huge guys walked over to me. _

"_Well what do we have here," they said as I stared at them, fear washing over me._

**Normal time:**

I wanted to scream but I knew no one was around to hear me. I suddenly wished that I had asked Paul to travel with me or had stayed back to talk with him. As much fun as traveling alone seems you just never really appreciate truly having your friends there until you really need them. I decided to try to stall them by making small talk. "Hi guys, are you trainers too? I am a coordinator!"

They chuckled slightly and walked closer to me. As I reached for my backpack one of them picked it up.

"I really need to get going," I tried again. "One of my friends is waiting for me in the next town." I was bluffing but hoped that they would not want to bother me if they knew someone was waiting for me.

"That's just too bad," they laughed, moving closer as I screamed.

**Paul's POV:**

My conversation with Dawn had struck a chord within me. So much that I had a hard time concentrating on training afterwards. I kept looking towards the path, which is probably how I noticed them. Three huge, muscular guys walked down the path a couple minutes after she had. I know I shouldn't worry about Dawn, but she brought out a different side in me, she kept the darkness away from my heart.

Recalling Torterra, I left my shirt and backpack there. I began to walk like a hunter. My steps not making a sound, I followed the path, praying that I was wrong, and they weren't after Dawn. She wasn't strong enough to fend them off, besides she didn't see bad in people, she didn't see bad in me. I knew people like them, horrible men who preyed on innocent girls who were naïve enough to get caught.

I had just about convinced myself that Dawn was safe when a shriek pierced the air, a shriek that I recognized, Dawn's. I took off, running as fast as I could. Taking one last turn I saw Dawn, laying on the ground crying as the three men stood above her. Dawn's shirt was torn down the middle. "Please leave me alone," she begged. "You can have all of my money, just please leave me alone!"

"Oh honey, we don't want money," one of the men said, reaching for her. That set me off, it was the same way my dad used to reach for my mom. I didn't know what to do, but I knew I had to stop them.

"Leave her alone!" I cried, racing towards them, towards Dawn. I shoved my way through them and put up a protective stance above Dawn. Even through the adrenaline I felt slightly embarrassed to be shirtless above Dawn, my scars visible on my back.

"Paul," she whispered, staring at me as if I were an angel sent from Heaven.

"Don't you dare touch her," I growled warningly.

The men stared at me in surprise. I guess they didn't expect anyone to come and interfere in their plans. "What do you think you are going to do to us on your own?" one asked.

I hadn't thought this through well enough but at least Dawn was okay, not what the men had wanted to happen to her. "If you touch her I swear…" I trailed off, the threat hanging in the air.

"Get out of the way boy, unless you want to end up like her," another said.

The rage building in me was unleashed at that moment. Grabbing one guy's arm I kicked him where it hurt, then turned and punched another in the nose. I knew this was probably just going to get me and Dawn hurt or killed by them but at that moment I didn't care.

The third guy grabbed my arms as the guy I had punched in the nose grabbed my legs and threw me away from them as the other guy grabbed Dawn.

"Paul, help me!" she shrieked, kicking out at the guys who were circling her. I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the pain the lanced through my hip. I lowered my shoulder and rammed into one of the guys, knocking him forwards.

"This is too much trouble," one of them growled as the other two grabbed my arms and held me. "Let's find an easier target." Tossing her backpack down, well and tossing me again, they walked off.

Spots danced in front of my eyes, and the world seemed to be spinning. I half crawled, half slid over to where Dawn was. "Dawn are you okay?" I asked, making sure to not look at her torn shirt. Going over to her backpack I reached in and found her a jacked, pink of course, and handed it to her. Putting my hand behind her back I held her up and helped her slide her jacket on. She zipped the jacket up and sat up.

"Thanks Paul," she said.

I was making sure all of her things were in her backpack when I heard a sniffle. Looking over my shoulder at her I saw that tears were beginning to run down her face. Okay so I have never done well with tears, but after this traumatic experience and how she made me feel I went over and sat down next to her. Putting my arm around her I began murmuring words of comfort to her. "Dawn it is okay. Everything is all right. They are gone now and I am here. I will never let anything hurt you."

She clung on to me and began to cry into my shoulder, her body racking in sobs. I put one hand behind her head and began to rub my other hand up and down her back. Brushing the hair out of her face I held her tight, relishing the closeness. After about an hour, Dawn stopped crying but still did not let go of Paul. Paul was worried about leaving her alone at hear, but he also wanted to go and get it stuff, before anyone (Pokemon or Human) decided to help themselves to his stuff. "Dawn you want to go with me to get my stuff, and then we can come back here?"

She looked up at me, still holding me, her eyes red and puffy and nodded her head. Helping her stand up she walked with me to where I had set up camp. I just then remembered that I had been shirtless that whole time. She had seen my scars! I quickly grabbed my shirt and jabbed it on over my head. Dawn sat and watched me, a small smile beginning to appear on her face. I felt a blush beginning to form on my face so I turned away and grabbed the rest of my stuff.

"Paul, you aren't going to leave me, are you?" Dawn asked as I put my backpack onto my shoulders. Her eyes had started to fill with tears again. "I am afraid they are going to come back and you make me feel safe!"

I felt a huge smile form on my face, probably making me look like a total idiot, but at that moment I didn't care. "No Dawn I won't leave you, I will keep you safe."

Grabbing her hand I led her back down the path and found a nice spot to set up camp. "You want to stop here?" I asked.

**Dawn's POV:**

_Dear Diary,_

_Paul was being so nice to me and he was so brave. I had never seen a guy throw himself so fearlessly into battle to save me. __He was like my knight in shining armor!_ _He even was shirtless while I held him! He had saved me from some unspeakable horrors that those guys were going to inflict on me. Oh and just between you and me, his scars make him look a heck of a lot cuter and more vulnerable. _

_I really like Paul, I mean like like. He is so different but he is also so brave and fearless. I really want to ask him to travel with me but I don't know how. Should I just walk up and say, "Hey do you want to travel with me?" or should it be like, "Hey, you know since we are both traveling through Kanto maybe we should travel together. More convenient you know." What do you think? To forward? Being a teenager is so difficult, I miss being a little girl who only worried what dress I should wear tomorrow or when I was going to hang out with Kenny and Leona again. Well I gotta go, Paul will probably wake up soon!_

Paul rolled over and looked at me, wiping sleep out of his eyes. "Morning," he muttered. He slid out of his sleeping bag and crawled over to his backpack and grabbed a Pop tart. "You want one?" he asked.

"Sure, but make sure it is a S'more's one," I chirped, trying to be brave. I had barely slept at all last night, dreams of yesterday haunting me. Paul had stayed up until he thought I had gone to sleep, but I still was afraid.

"You have a contest soon right?" Paul grunted, staring at me.

"Yep in Greenday Town," I smiled at him, hoping he would smile back. He didn't.

"Well we had better get going then, we got a two hour walk ahead of us." He stood up and put his backpack on then tossed my backpack to me.

I stared at him, surprise probably pretty evident on my face. _He was going to travel with me?_ I felt a huge smile appear on my face as Paul walked off. The only problem with traveling with Paul is that he sucks at having conversations with me, at least today. "So, what Battle Frontier place are you going to challenge next?"

"Battle Arena," Paul said, not turning around or slowing down.

After a couple more tries I gave up and began to walk in silence. Me trying to be silent is a lot harder than it looks. After two hours I was almost dying but we had arrived in Greenday Town. Paul walked towards the Pokemon Center and with a sigh, I followed him.

"We need a room," Paul told the Nurse Joy that was working there.

"Sure, here is the key to #110," said Nurse Joy.

"Thanks," he muttered walking over to me. "Let's go Troublesome, I want to shower."

I swallowed nervously as I followed him into our room. It was a pretty cute place with two bed, a plant, a chair and a window.

Just then he stopped and turned to face me. "Dawn do you want to travel with me?" he asked, staring at me seriously.

**Wow, I hope you guys liked that. I had fun writing it! A cliffhanger! The Last Airbender movie is pretty bad if you had ever watched the series. The 3D is especially bad! The next chapter will be her Contest! Please tell me what you think and I will hopefully update soon! Please Review, they give me inspiration!**


	14. Toughen On Up!

**Hey here is the next chapter! I hope you all like it because I worked really hard on it. My longest chapter yet!**

**Paul's POV:**

I stared at Dawn, waiting for her answer. It had taken me all day to work up the nerve to ask her. That was why I had been so silent during our walk here, not because I was antisocial like I think she thought I was.

Dawn's face was bright red as she stared at me. Then she gave me her answer, "Yes."

"Okay, well that is settled then," I said, then quickly headed into the bathroom to shower.

**Dawn's POV:**

As soon as Paul disappeared into the bathroom I began to do a happy dance around the room. Everything I had ever wanted since first meeting was coming true, I was going to travel with Paul! I let Piplup out of his Poke Ball to tell him, since he was the only one who had listened to me for so long.

"He asked me to travel with him!" I celebrated.

"Pip Piplup!" he cheered.

"Now I am going to have to ask him a very important question that may change my life," I told Piplup, a somber air coming over me.

"Piplup?" he asked, staring at me in confusion.

"I want to learn to fight and become stronger and less like me currently. I can barely throw a punch right now and it would probably be good for me to learn. I would ask Misty but since we kinda aren't talking right now…" I trailed off, staring at my feet as tears began to leak out of my eyes again. I sat down on the bed as tears overtook me. Laying down, I buried my head in the pillow, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Troublesome, what's wrong?" a voice asked, as footsteps hurried over to me.

I looked up into Paul's face, which was filled with uncharacteristic concern. "I don't want to be so helpless anymore," I said, my voice breaking as I tried to speak through my sobs. "I want to be able to fight off anyone that comes towards me; I want to be able to defend myself! You don't know what it is like to feel so helpless!" Tears came flooding back out of my eyes again.

Paul stood in front of me, his hard, stony look coming back. "I can train you Troublesome, but it is not going to be easy. You also have a Contest coming up and you said you wanted to enter that."

I wiped my face and looked him square in the eye. "Paul, this is something I have to do. Contests can wait, but I need to learn this now! I can train a little while for the contest and then you will help me learn to fight."

Paul gave a small laugh and looked me over. "This isn't going to be easy, you realize that? You need to ditch the makeup and put your hair into a pony. Also go and put on some workout clothes, you need to be able to move and sweat."

I nodded at that, and if I didn't know any better, I think I saw respect flash through his eyes. "See you outside in twenty minutes," he told me, walking out the door.

Paul's POV:

I paced around outside the Pokemon Center, checking the clock every five seconds. _Where is she? It has already been thirty-five minutes!_ I looked back towards the doors and saw someone I scarcely recognized coming out.

"Hey Paul, what do you think?" she asked, twirling around in a circle. The fingernail polish had been removed and so had the makeup on her face. She had replaced her normal clothes with a workout shirt and athletic shorts and had put tennis shoes on. Her hair had been placed in a French braid, with no stray wisps or stupid clips. In other words, she looked very normal and possibly very pretty. Setting her backpack down, she laughed at the expression on my face. "I look that good?" she asked, walking over to me.

Shaking my head I didn't answer her and instead started stretching. She watched for a minute then began to copy me. Neither of us said a word the entire time, and the quiet was nice. Something I hadn't thought she was capable of. Every once in a while I caught myself staring at her, but quickly looked away. After stretching, I walked over to my backpack and pulled out a Poke Ball. "Let's start with contest training."

"Okay," Dawn said, walking over to her backpack.

"Weavile, stand by for battle," I ordered, sending Weavile out.

Dawn threw her Poke Ball up into the air, "Go Pachirisu!"

"Okay, I have seen your battling and you aren't that bad, but you have cute Pokemon here that don't have the greatest of moves. You need to learn how to use their moves to your advantage." I watched as she nodded and looked at me, waiting for my move.

"Weavile use Shadow Ball," I ordered as Weavile gathered up a huge black and purple ball and launched it towards Pachirisu.

"Pachirisu, spin and use Discharge," she called, her face flushed with excitement. Blue electricity flew around Pachirisu and blocked the Shadow Ball. "Now use Super Fang!"

"Weavile, use Beat Up!" Weavile waited until Pachirisu was close enough then began punching it. Pachirisu slumped to the ground afterwards, fainted.

"Pachirisu are you okay?" she cried, running out to her Pokemon. Picking it up, she cradled it until it woke up. "Okay Paul, I know that you are a trainer and everything, but that was the worst contest battle I have ever seen."

"That wasn't a bad battle, Weavile did everything I commanded, your Pokemon was just too weak to stand up to it," I said, keeping my usual angry face on.

Dawn's face reddened in anger and she stomped over to me, picked up her foot, and brought it down on my toes. I didn't react which angered her further, as she slapped me across the face, leaving an angry red mark. "Paul you are a horrible jerk; you just make me so angry!"

I smiled at that, making her face contort into a look that really didn't suit her face. "Take it you are ready for some fight practice?"

"You did this on purpose, didn't you?" Dawn yelled angrily. "You were just trying to get me to fight you!"

"Well, if you are so angry, why don't we go ahead and start." I walked away from her a couple steps and then turned to face her. "Why don't we start with a couple of punching techniques?"

"Yeah, yeah let's just get going today, I need to learn this!" Dawn exclaimed, doing a few punches into the air.

"Okay, well the first thing you need to learn is how to fold your hand when you punch. Make a fist like this and put your thumb on the top," I explained, forming a fist. Dawn attempted to copy me, but she obviously was not a fighter. I reached out and grabbed her hand, forming it into a fist. My heart rate increased as I held her hand. "Now when you throw a punch, you want to aim straight, not with your elbow at that weird angle." Walking around to stand next to her, I guided her hand in a punch a couple times. I then let go and went and grabbed my jacket. "Hit me," I ordered.

"I don't want to hurt you!" her face betrayed fear, as she stared at me.

I choked back my laughter and folded my jacket a couple times, poising it over my chest. "You won't hurt me, now punch! Or are you just going to let people hurt you because you can't defend yourself."

A look of determination appeared on her face. Walking up she kept her fist in the same position then swung. It hit the jacket, but had no force behind it. "Try again, Troublesome."

Dawn kept punching and punching and near the end her punches actually were starting to hurt a little through the jacket. Sweat was beaded on her forehead but she made not motion of wiping it off. Pulling her fist back parallel to her body, she swung forward with full force and hit the jacket, right in the middle. The punch sent me stumbling back a couple of steps and her face lit up with excitement. "Was that it?"

"Yes Troublesome, that actually was pretty good. Now let's start jogging." I took off in a light jog as she stared at me, her jaw dropping. "Come on, let's get going!"

**Dawn's POV:**

Paul and I were headed to dinner after training, and I don't think I had ever felt so tired in my life. Paul's idea of jogging was a three mile run through the woods, and didn't slow down once, even when I tripped. Then he had made me go back and practice again for the Contest. Sitting in the booth at the Pokemon Center with our trays, I ate more than I think I have ever eaten in one meal.

"Hey you need to leave food for the rest of us Dawn," said a voice behind me. Turning around I saw Zoey standing behind me, smiling.

"Zoey, I haven't seen you in forever!" I exclaimed, giving her a hug. After pulling away she examined me critically.

"Dawn, what are you wearing? And what perfume is that?" she asked, a smile appearing on her face.

"These are my new workout clothes! Oh, and that perfume is sweat, isn't it so pretty!" I gushed. "Your new outfit is so cool!" Zoey was wearing a dark purple shirt and denim jeans with a leather jacket. She had also grown her hair out and it now hung past her shoulders, styled. "Why don't you come and sit with us?" I asked, heading back towards our table with my third tray of food.

"Who is us?" Zoey asked, following me.

"Paul is traveling with me right now," I told her, sitting opposite Paul. Zoey sat down next to me and stared at Paul.

"Troublesome, who is this?" Paul asked, staring at Zoey with his usual look pasted on his face.

"Oh, Zoey this is Paul, Paul this is Zoey," I introduced them quickly.

"This is the Paul that you…" she trailed off as I kicked her, and she laughed. Zoey didn't answer as she continued looking back and forth between us, shaking her head in surprise.

"Hey Zoey, what are you doing? Oh, hey Dee Dee!" exclaimed an all too familiar voice. I looked up into the face of Kenny. He was blushing as he stared at me.

"Oh hi Kenny, are you hear for the contest?" I asked. I may have used to crush on him before I left on my journey, but anymore he just seemed kind of immature.

"Yeah, me and Zoey…" he trailed off as he finally noticed Paul, sitting there quietly.

"What are you doing here?" Kenny asked, his voice taking on a defensive note.

"None of your business," growled Paul. "I will see you back in the room later," he addressed it to me, but wouldn't meet my eye. Standing up, he left the table and Kenny visible relaxed.

"Are you traveling with that jerk?" he yelled at me, attracting quite a bit of attention. I opened my mouth to reply but Kenny obviously wasn't done. "Do you know what that guy has done? What kind of person he is? He is not the kind of guy you should be hanging out with!"

I filled with rage at that, and I was very happy that Paul had taught me to punch today. "Who do you think you are?" I screamed, and anyone who wasn't watching was watching now. "You are not my dad and I am allowed to travel with whoever I want! Paul is perfectly nice most of the time, and I know that he would never hurt me!"

"Hey guys, why don't you both take a couple of deep breaths, and think before you speak?" Zoey asked, trying to calm us down.

Kenny didn't appear to hear her and continued on his tirade. "Now you even change your appearance! Paul is not worth it and you deserve a lot better Dawn!" Kenny brought his fist down on the table and a couple people at the tables closest to us got up, as if to stop this before it got too bad.

I shoved Zoey off the bench and stood up, clenching my fists at my sides. "I changed my appearance because I was training and wanted to be able to fight! And how do you know what kind of guy I should be with? What is so wrong if I like Paul?" I stood right in front of him, and poked him in the chest.

"Because I know you and I am going to make sure you end up with someone that is on your level. He is not a charity case!" Kenny glared down at me. Nurse Joy was walking towards me and at that moment I didn't care. Pulling my arm back the way Paul taught me I punched him straight in the nose. Blood spurted out and Nurse Joy ran in between us as Zoey grabbed my arm.

"Both of you need to go to your separate rooms and calm down before you talk to each other again!" Nurse Joy ordered. Zoey cast me one last desperate glance before leading Kenny off. Grabbing my tray I dumped it in the trash and realized my thumb was throbbing really badly.

I hurried off to my room and went and sat down on the bed. Paul glanced over at me from where he sat on his bed, but didn't say anything. "Hey Paul, I punched Kenny in the nose," I said, looking over at him. Paul didn't visibly react so I continued. "I think it was pretty good because his nose started bleeding; although my thumb really hurts now." Still no reaction, I was really getting tired of this. "Blood came out of his nose in a fountain, gushing all over. I think it even went into his face," I said, waiting for a reaction. Still nothing! "Paul will you please talk to me!" I screamed, getting up and marching around to the front of his bed. I was surprised to see what looked like the ghost of a smile lighting up his features!

"Wow, gushing blood, after your first real fight, huh," he glanced at my thumb which had now turned an interesting shade of purple. "Forgot how to fold your thumb, didn't you?"

The next few days passed in a blur, full of constant training, for Pokemon and for me. Paul didn't let me take a break and even had me lifting weights, which is a lot harder than it looks. I was very happy with the results though, I was beginning to get some muscle tone. Kenny avoided me, his nose was indeed broken. Zoey talked to me in passing, just letting me know that she was currently traveling with Kenny. Wonder if more is going on there?

I was currently reapplying my nail polish while Paul stared at me. Probably wondering why the heck I would pretty myself up for a contest. Well I had to look great; I was going to be on TV after all! "Will you hurry up Troublesome?" asked Paul. "If you want me to watch it you at least need to be there."

I stuck my tongue out at him as I grabbed my Poke Balls and shoved them into my bag. Going to the mirror, I gazed critically at my reflection. Smoothing out the wrinkled in my pretty new light blue blouse and khaki shorts, fingering my curls, and adjusting my flats I was ready to go.

"I am so glad I am not a girl," muttered Paul as we walked towards the Contest Hall. I was beginning to wonder why he was going at all; it wasn't like I had invited him.

"I am glad you aren't either!" I joked. Of course, his expression never changed. I was beginning to suspect Paul had perfected his poker face at an early age. "See you later!" I called, separating from him to head backstage. I thought he would be relieved but instead he followed me. "What are you doing?" I asked, curiosity killing me.

"I wanted to say hi to my biggest fan," Paul said impassively.

I rolled my eyes as we walked into the staging area. As always, I felt most at home here, surrounded by what I held closest to my heart. My heart raced nervously in my chest though, because I saw Kenny walking towards me, his face twisted in a cruel grin.

"Hey Dee Dee, you and Paul been having a good time?" Kenny asked, coming to a stop in front of me.

"Your nose feeling any better?" replied Paul. He chuckled when Kenny subconsciously reached and rubbed his nose. I glanced back and forth between them, but it appeared that they had forgotten about me.

"At least I don't have scars like an emo," Kenny said, glancing down at Paul's arm, where a couple scarcely visible scratches laced his upper arm.

Paul's fist tightened at his side and he stepped forward threateningly. Kenny took a small step back, but didn't just leave like I hoped he would. "Paul, you don't want to get kicked out do you?" I asked him, grabbing his arm.

He didn't get a chance to reply; however, as the announcer, one I didn't recognize began the contest. Paul glanced up then, locking eyes with Kenny, "This isn't finished." Without a word to me, he turned and strode out.

"You two deserve each other," said Kenny with a sneer, and then walked off to the stage for his appeal.

"Ignore him, you injured his pride," murmured Zoey, walking past me to watch Kenny on the TV.

"Up first is Kenny hailing all the way from Sinnoh!" shouted the announcer. Kenny ran up onto the stage, his hair flopping in his eyes.

"Go Floatzel!" he yelled, sending out an otter-like Pokemon. "Use Aqua Ring and Water Gun!" Floatzel took off in a spin, the one I had created, water twirling around it. Rings slashed through it, sending droplets out that glittered prettily. "Floatzel, now use Ice Beam!" Floatzel shot up a huge beam of ice that stretched high towards the ceiling. "Now use Sonic Boom!" The Sonic Boom carved the ice into a Tiki, pretty cool admittedly. Kenny bowed and walked off, praising his Pokemon.

Several others went, none matching Kenny, and then it was my turn. Running onto the stage I called, "Pachirisu spotlight!" Pachirisu jumped out and performed a somersault before landing. "Now use Discharge!" Pachirisu sent out blue electricity and spun up towards the ceiling, using its tail to launch. "Now use Sweet Kiss!" Little pink hearts floated around the stage where Pachirisu pushed them into each other, forming one gigantic heart. Then Pachirisu used Super Fang and sent pink fluffs everywhere. I bowed, smiling at the praise from the judges. I scanned the stands out of the corner of my eye but didn't see Paul, had he left me?

Trotting back to the staging area I watched Zoey's performance along with the rest and nervously waited for the results. They flashed up onto the screen and I clasped my hands in joy, seeing that I was in first place. Kenny had also made it through, but Zoey didn't, her mess-up costing her. Kenny and I battled our way through the others until it was between us for the finals, just like last Contest.

"Ready to lose, Dee Dee?" Kenny whispered to me as we walked towards the stage. I reached up and touched my nose as he watched, making him blush and turn away. Smiling in triumph, I stood and watered for the battle to begin.

"Go Pachirisu," I watched as my cute little Pokemon danced around the stage.

"Dumb little Dee Dee," Kenny laughed, "Go Machoke!"

I tightened my fist at my side, hoping my plan worked. We battled each other for a while and we were about tied as the clock ran down to thirty seconds. Time to shine! Kenny smiled as his Machoke moved forward to use Submission on Pachirisu. Just as it was about to hit, Pachirisu's fist glowed yellow as electricity surged off of it. Thunder Punch hit its mark in Machoke's eyes, making him roar in pain. Kenny's points flew way down as the clock ticked to zero. Everybody's eyes flew to the scoreboard as the final points were calculated. Kenny was smirking as he watched the scoreboard flash up the picture of the winner, until he realized it was me.

"Dawn is the winner of the Greenday Town Contest!" yelled the announcer as everyone cheered. Hugging Pachirisu I ran towards the center of the stage as Mr. Contesta handed me my ribbon.

"I won the Greenday Town Ribbon!"I yelled, posing with Pachirisu as cameras flashed. I was all smiles as I header backstage and out of the arena. Skipping I headed outside only to skid to a stop at seeing a crowd gathered around something. Running over I pushed my way through the crowd to see Kenny and Paul facing each other.

"You said it wasn't over!" screamed Kenny in outrage. "Now you stand here and won't even move to defend yourself!"

Paul didn't say a word, just turning around to head away from him. Kenny's hand lashed out and grabbed the back of Paul's shirt and spinning him around to face him. "Okay, now you have gone a step too far," growled Paul, his face looking scarier than I had ever seen it before. Pulling his arm back he prepared to lay a knock-out blow onto Kenny.

"Paul stop!" I screamed running forward and grabbing Paul's arm. "Don't hit him; he won't stand a chance against you!"

Paul stared in surprise at me, his eyes losing a little of their dangerous gleam. "Troublesome what are you doing here, this doesn't involve you?"

"Paul you may end up doing something you regret, you don't know who might come up at anytime! You can't risk it!" I pleaded.

"Yeah Dee Dee this doesn't involve you!" Kenny added, trying to shove past me towards Paul.

"Kenny, don't you dare say anything! Do you want your eyes to match your nose?" I threatened.

"Is there a problem here?" asked Mr. Contesta, walking into the fast disappearing ring. It seemed like my life anymore involved fights and someone breaking them up.

"No there is not," Paul said smoothly, "Just a slight misunderstanding." Paul walked off, dragging me along behind him, Kenny glaring after us.

**Okay, end of chapter. I only got three reviews last chapter so people please review! Also take my new poll please! Remember, I love reviews! Even one word!**


	15. Never Got to Say Goodbye

**Yay, I am back! Sorry about the long delay but I have been busy trying to update and fix all of my stories evenly! Thanks for the reviews! Please take my poll and check out the NEWS section on profile to know what is happening with all of my stories, characters, and polls! So this chapter will hopefully be good and thank you for the reviews! Oh, and I am so happy that Dawn is gone now! I hated her! Although I watched it on YouTube and it made me cry! **

**I Do Not Own Pokemon!**

Dawn's POV:

I had rage and anger building up in my chest at the thought of Paul dragging me away from what Kenny deserved! _What the hell was wrong with Paul that he wouldn't let me work out my anger!_

"Dawn you have got to calm down!" ordered Paul, placing a hand on my shoulder and staring me straight in the eyes.

The rational part of me said that Paul was right and that I needed to listen to him. The irrational part; however, seemed to be winning the struggle over me. I'm not a violent person, I swear I am not, but there was something in me that wanted me to hurt him.

"Dawn you have got to stop. I know you; you couldn't hurt a Butterfree, much less Kenny!" Paul had dragged me back to our room at the center. His eyes looked different then they usually did an expression in them that I didn't recognize.

"He just makes me so mad!" I ranted, attempting to stand up. He pushed me back down, until I was lying on the bed with his face inches from mine, his hands gripping my arms.

"Dawn, who are you really?" I stared up at him in surprise as he continued. "Are you a beautiful, sweet young girl who loves clothes and Pokemon, or is that just a façade?"

My mind had become numb at his use of the word beautiful. _Does he really think I am beautiful?_ Paul hadn't moved an inch, but there was a look on his face that shocked me back into reality, a look of intense pain. "It is not a façade," I swore, not able to take my eyes from his face. It looked like he was having the same issue.

"Are you sure?" his voice sounding gruffer than I thought would be possible in this current state.

I was gasping by now, trying to suppress the feeling of reaching up and hugging him. "Yes, I am sure."

Paul seemed to be having an inner struggle as his face began to twitch, changing expressions faster than possible. He finally seemed to settle for his usual look, but hadn't let go of me yet. And to tell the truth, I didn't want him to. I felt safe and secure in his arms, like this was how it was always meant to be.

Slowly, almost in a dream-like state, his hands moved from my arms and he got up. I sat up two as he walked over to the other bed and sat down, his eyes refusing to meet mine. "Don't do that again Troublesome."

"I am so sorry for worrying you Paul; I wasn't me," I glanced at him shyly, peeking out under my eyelashes. "Thanks for helping, and yes you are beautiful too."

He started to protest as I trotted off to the bathroom to clean up before dinner, leaving him dumbfounded.

We headed off to dinner that night at a Chinese Restaurant, after a lot of begging on my part. Paul was unusually silent, refusing to do more than utter a few words every once in a while. "We need to head to your Frontier Battle next," I announced, picking at my Chow Mein.

"Yeah, I guess," Paul replied. He jabbed his fork angrily into his spring roll, making me jump at the clanging sound.

"Paul, what is wrong?" His silence wasn't unusual, but the angry motions and stabbing of innocent food was starting to worry me.

He stared at me wordlessly, his eyes boring into mine. Shaking his head, he continued to stare, making my insides squirm. "Nothing is wrong," he drew his words out slowly, as if speaking to a five year old.

"Okay, well tomorrow we had better head out okay!" I continued to eat, enjoying the flavor of the food. Paul didn't eat anything else all night.

I woke up the next morning, the clock showing that it was 9:00 a.m. Stretching, I looked over at Paul's bed to find it empty. Fear worked its way through me as I jumped out of bed, and threw on some clothes. Racing down the hallway, I burst out into the lobby to see Paul talking on the phone. It looked like a perfectly normal scene, except for the fact that Paul was crying.

"Reggie, I don't think I will be able to make it back there," Paul wiped angrily at his face, smearing the tears into wide wet streaks. "I don't want Dawn to know."

"She is bound to notice something is wrong," Reggie too was crying. As silently as I could, I snuck closer, wanting to know what was going on.

"I hope not, I don't want her to worry," Paul looked down at his hands. When he talked again he was sniffling, "I don't know why I miss her so much. She wasn't that great but now that she is gone, it is making me realize that I do need her in my life. I never even got to tell her good-bye."

Curiosity was killing me by now, who were they talking about. I was just about to step out and walk over to them when Reggie spoke again. "Paul, if you really care for Dawn you have to tell her everything. You know what happens when you bottle it up inside. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"No," Paul admitted, raising his eyes to Reggie again. "I keep replaying that night over and over in my head. How did it happen?"

"She was driving home from her therapist. Taking that last turn towards her home she was broad-sided by a drunk driver."

"I didn't know she was seeing a therapist." Paul's eyes were all shiny again, a few stray tears spilling over.

"Yeah, she was," Reggie stopped to choke back a sob before continuing. "She was also making it very far in her charity work. Why did it have to happen to her?" He was sobbing hard, not holding his tears back any longer. For that matter, neither was Paul.

I took a deep breath for confidence then stepped over to Paul. He glanced up in surprise and managed to ask me a question. "How much did you hear?"

"From the part of 'Reggie I don't think I will be able to make it back there." I searched Paul's face for anger, but I only saw infinite sadness.

He nodded then started crying again. Feeling a motherly feeling come over me, I leaned forward and hugged him, having a flashback of when he had done the same for me. I sat there for a while, holding Paul as he and Reggie let out their tears. "It was my mother Dawn, she is gone."

"Paul, I don't know what to say. I would tell you I am sorry and I understand but I don't. I still have my mother." My sincerity must have been audible in my words, because Reggie gave me a look full of respect.

"Do you know the story?" Reggie asked since Paul had lapsed back into a racking sob.

"I think so; Paul told me a story one time." I looked down at Paul, brushing his plum-colored hair off of his face. Paul made a noise that sounded close to agreement with me. I could feel tears beginning to prick my eyes too, but refused to let them fall. I would be strong for Paul, I would be.

"Have you got him there?" I nodded back at Reggie as he gave me a small smile. "Take care of him Dawn, he needs someone like you." The screen went blank, leaving me and Paul alone.

"Are you two okay?" asked Nurse Joy, tapping me on my back. Paul was clinging to me by now, his sobs beginning to subside.

"Thanks Nurse Joy he just had a death in the family, it hit him pretty hard," I was softly rubbing his back. "He didn't get any sleep last night."

"I will get him a pill, you need to make sure he takes it." Nurse Joy hurried off, her skirts swishing.

"I am sorry I lost control like that," Paul whispered to me, letting go of me and wiping his face free of tears.

I felt my heart go out to him, I had never once seen Paul this vulnerable. "Why didn't you tell me last night?" I demanded, standing up. "You knew about this last night didn't you?"

"I didn't want you to find out," he to stood up, his face returning to its normal look.

"Paul, you need to get used to friendship. You can't keep it all bottled up inside all the time," I tried to keep my voice low because at that moment I saw Kenny and Zoey walk by, holding hands.

Zoey spotted me and waved, dragging Kenny over with her. "Hey Dawn, congratulations for yesterdays win at the contest!" She let go of Kenny's hand and gave me a hug.

"Yes Dee Dee good job," Kenny said, giving me a nod. "I am sorry to both of you for being such a jerk these last couple days." He gestured his head towards Zoey then continued, "Me and Zoey are going out now!"

I felt a smile light up my features. "That is so great! You two are so cute together!" Then my smile faded as I glanced back at Paul, he looked like the walking dead! "Hey we got to go, see you at the next contest!"

They said their good-byes and walked off. "Here are your pills!" Nurse Joy said, handing me two white pills.

"Thanks Nurse Joy," I replied, beginning to guide Paul down the hall. Stopping at our door to unlock it, I watched as he took the pills and lay down on his bed. I sat down next to him and stroked his hair as he faded silently into sleep.

**Next chapter is Paul's Frontier Battle! So sad, this chapter I think! Please review and take my poll! Also do you guys think my writing is getting better? Please tell me cause I would like to know! Until next time, see ya! **


	16. So Close Yet So Far

**Hey here is the next chapter; Paul's long awaited second Frontier Battle! Thanks for the reviews although it would have been nice if I had gotten a few more! Also keep checking my news section and taking my poll please! **

**I Do Not Own Pokemon!**

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_**Paul's POV:**_

The happenings of last night came rushing back as I woke up that morning. My eyes were sticky still from my long-dried tears. My head hurt from crying so hard. My heart was no longer hurting though; Dawn had helped me through it. Turning over I saw that she had fallen asleep next to me, her hand strung over my midsection. Her mouth was open slightly as she breathed and her face looked innocent.

I carefully lifted her arm off of me and swung my legs over the side of the bed. I stood up and then pulled the covers up over Dawn before heading into the bathroom. Glancing in the mirror I recoiled in shock from the reflection. I had not looked this… vulnerable since I was a child. Shaking my head I quickly took a shower, hoping not to wake Dawn up. As I was dressing after the shower Dawn stumbled into the restroom.

"Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," cried Dawn, quickly raising her hands to cover her eyes. I mentally cursed at myself for not having locked the door as I stood there in my boxers. I quickly pulled on my shorts as Dawn hurried out of there. Even though I was horrified at the thought it also secretly made me glad because, whether I liked it or not, I was falling hard for my blunette traveling partner.

"Hey Dawn, I am sorry I didn't lock the door," I said as I strolled out of the bathroom, trying to keep a smirk off of my face. She was staring at my topless body as I slowly shuffled through my bag to find a shirt.

"Are you feeling any better?" asked Dawn, walking over to stand near me.

I instantly felt my throat close up in pain and I blinked hard to keep tears from spilling over. "I think so. I can't believe you saw me like that."

"You said the same thing last night," Dawn replied, hugging my bare chest. "Paul, you know that I care about you right?"

I was having a war with myself as she clung to me, trying not to kiss her soft lips. Jeez, I was having some serious problems keeping my normal Paulness up. "Do you?" I asked.

"Yes I do, and you can tell me anything," said Dawn, releasing me as her cheeks darkened from a blush. I shoved a black shirt on over my head and watched curiously as she went and grabbed her makeup bag. "Why are you putting makeup on?"

"Well, I like it. It makes me feel girly and pretty." Dawn brushed on a pink eye shadow and then started with mascara.

"How do you not poke yourself in the eyes with that thing?" I knew my questions were kind of inane, but I wanted her to keep talking. I was also trying to keep myself from telling her that she was already pretty enough.

"Hey I am going to go change and then do you want to Saffron City for your Frontier Battle?" Dawn was digging through her bag and pulled out a pink top with short black shorts.

"Sure, why not," I said, watching her skip into the restroom. I drug my feet over to my bag and started shoving my belongings into it. I was feeling very depressed at the moment, thoughts of my mom still in my head. "Why did she have to leave me?" I questioned, feeling a few rebel tears streaking down my face.

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A few days later we had reached Saffron City. My mental state was still not at its prime and even Dawn had noticed. I was being unusually harsh and I was really starting to worry that I may lose to Greta, not that I would ever tell anyone that.

"Hey Paul, are you ready to go?" whined Dawn, decked out in her cheerleading outfit. She even had her Piplup and Buneary dressed up to. A little over the top if you asked me but she looked totally cute.

"Yeah I am annoying girl," I replied, shoving my Poke Balls into my pockets.

She chatted the whole way there nonstop, but strangely it kept my mind off of my mom. Today was her funeral and I wasn't going to be there. It wasn't like she was the best mom in the world, but she definitely wasn't the worst either. I missed her more than almost anyone, except for my brother Reggie, and maybe possibly Dawn.

Dawn cut off her chatter when we reached a huge building where battle cries could be heard coming from the top. We quickly ran into the building and up onto the roof. "Wow," murmured Dawn, glancing around the top. There was a huge crowd of people performing martial art moves while a girl with blonde hair rolled weirdly led them. The blonde girl spotted us and trotted over, waving her hand to the other people who stopped.

"Hey, who are you?" asked the girl.

"I am Paul and I am here to challenge the Frontier Brain." I quickly adapted my devil-may-care face as I talked to her and I saw with pleasure that she did a double take.

"Well, I am Greta, the Frontier Brain so let us go ahead and battle!" she gave me a small wink as she walked off, telling her students to go home.

"Hey, I think she likes you," Dawn said, following me as I walked over to the big wheel, remembering what my brother had told me.

Dawn caught me off guard with that statement and I regarded her carefully. "Well I am not interested in _her_." I carefully put emphasis on the last word, hoping that she got it.

"Well Paul, just spin the wheel and then we can start the battle. You look like a _very_ strong trainer." Greta blushed at me, but I didn't bother to look at her. I just walked up and spun. "Well it looks like it will be a one on one battle," Greta said. "Ready to battle?"

"Yeah, let's go," I said, heading over to one side of the arena with Dawn, Piplup and Buneary trailing me.

"Hey Paul, who are you going to use?" Dawn asked, standing next to me while Greta talked to the referee.

I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "I know what I am doing," I growled. Squaring my shoulders I marched out to my place on the field.

"Sorry," murmured Dawn, staring at the ground for a moment. "Well, good luck!" she called, her cheeriness quickly returning. "Give me a P! Give me a A! Give me a U! Give me a L! What does that spell? Paul!"

I rolled my eyes in annoyance but I secretly hoped that she would continue. I wasn't used to anyone really cheering for me. It was nice to know that someone cared about me. It was even nicer to know that Dawn cared for me, although I didn't like to admit that to myself.

"This will be a one on one battle between Arena Tycoon Greta and the challenger Paul! The battle will be over once one trainer's Pokemon has been defeated! There is no time limit! Let the battle begin!" The referee took his place at the edge of the arena and I felt an icy calmness overcome me. I could do this!

"Okay Machamp, I choose you!" called Greta, throwing a Poke Ball into the air. The ball burst open to reveal a four-armed, buff, blue Pokemon.

I could hear Dawn whispering encouragement to me from the sidelines. I was unwilling to look at her though, I needed to concentrate. "Magmortar, stand by for battle!" My huge flaming yellow and red Pokemon burst forth, spitting flames from its mouth.

"Machamp use Dynamic Punch!" ordered Greta. Machamp ran forward, its fist glowing.

"Magmortar, Counter Shield now!" I shouted, adrenaline pumping through my veins. Magmortar dropped to its back and began to twist in a circle, flames spewing out and blocking Machamp from getting in. "Now use Smokescreen!" Smoke flew out and covered the arena lowering the visibility on the field.

I heard Greta curse from the other side of the arena. Dawn and her Pokemon broke into a cheer and I let a small smirk break out on my face. This was too easy. "Now use Hyper Beam Magmortar!" Magmortar collected itself and shot a massive, glowing white beam straight forward through the smoke.

"Mach!" screamed Machamp. I stood there as the smoke cleared and saw Machamp glaring wickedly from the other side.

"Machamp use Ankle Sweep!" screamed Greta, taking advantage of Magmortar's inability to move. Machamp came running towards Magmortar and then placed its hands down. Swinging around it took Magmortar's legs out.

"Mar!" whimpered Magmortar, hitting the ground hard. Dawn's cheering got louder as she continued to yell encouragement.

"We need to finish this!" I quickly sorted through Magmortar's moves and then decided on a surprise one. "Magmortar, use Thunderbolt!" Magmortar roared as energy began collecting around it. Focusing on Machamp it fired a yellow beam. The Thunderbolt hit Machamp square in the chest, knocking it backwards and into the wall.

"Machamp is unable to battle, Magmortar wins! The victory goes to the challenger Paul!" The referee dropped his flag, signaling the end. I felt the adrenaline drain out of me as I composed my cold face.

"I knew you could to it Paul!" cheered Dawn, running towards me. She threw her arms around in a tight hug. She put her face directly in front of mine and I felt my heart speed up again, hoping that she would lean forward a little more so I could kiss her. "I am so proud of you!" she whispered, running a hand through my hair as she leaned back again. Disappointment filled me but I tried to disguise it.

"Good job Paul," said Greta walking up. She was giving me and Dawn a weird look that I couldn't seem to figure out. "That was an amazing battle! I am proud to give you this Guts Symbol!" Greta stretched her arms out and handed me a gold symbol.

"Thank you," I said, taking it from her hand. Dawn snatched it away before I could pocket it, examining it carefully. The usual anger didn't fill me this time as I realized she was flirting. A girl was flirting with me! Now all I had to figure out was if she liked me!

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**Please remember to review, not just add me to favorites! Next chapter will probably be another contest, but I may change my mind. Also I know I asked this last chapter but do you think my writing is getting better? Thanks for reading!**


	17. Boyfriend

**Hey y'all, here I my next chapter! And I have decided no contest this chapter, sorry! Thank you for all the reviews and please take my brand new poll! I have become really inspired to finish this story and it is about halfway done now! **

**I Do Not Own Pokemon**

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**Dawn's POV:**

I glanced at Paul about every five seconds as we walked away from the Battle Arena. Paul was undeniably happy right now, even though he was attempting to look nonchalant. I had never seen him so happy about winning; especially since his mom had just died. I wondered if something else was happening that I wasn't aware of.

"Where are we going now?" he asked, not bothering to look at me.

"Well my next contest is in Lavender Town, so we should probably head there next," I mumbled, poking my fingers together like May usually does. "What do you think? I mean, we can go somewhere else if you want?" Paul was making me nervous, _did I do something wrong?_

Paul gave me a look of surprise at my quiet tone. "Are you okay?" I didn't respond so he just shook his head and continued talking. "Well that works out fine, my next Battle Frontier battle is right outside Lavender Town."

I nodded at him, keeping my gaze averted. I was afraid that if I looked at him I would cry. I don't know why, something about him was upsetting me. Maybe it was because of the hints I had dropped, ever so subtly. I had tried, so desperately, to get his attention, to make him realize that I was right here. Paul was turning out to be like most guys though; blind to those around them and too dense to even notice girls.

Paul didn't try to strike up any conversation on our walk that day although I didn't either. I was so absorbed in watching him, his movements, the way he shook his shaggy plum-colored hair out of his face. He glanced at me a few times, and held my eyes for a few moments, his eyes full of a look that I couldn't figure out. I would almost call it a look of longing, but that couldn't be it. Paul couldn't have that look on his face, especially directed at me.

We had reached a small town by nightfall and the silence between us was filled with tension. Paul got us a room at the Pokemon Center without so much as one word uttered towards me. He shoved open the door and walked over to one of the beds. I sighed in exasperation as I walked over to the other bed and pulled out Piplup's Poke Ball sadly. _What had happened to me? I never used to go a day without having Piplup out with me and now, I don't even look at him every day. And what was going on with Paul? I could understand if it was something to do with his mom, but there is something in me that is saying that this is about more than his mom. _

"We should reach Lavender Town in two days," said Paul. I turned around to look at him and was surprised yet again at the look in his eyes.

"Paul, are you okay?" I walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He shook my hand off of his shoulder and hurried towards the restroom. I walked after him and got the door slammed in my face. I leaned against it and decided to keep talking. "Paul, I care about you. If there is something wrong, please tell me. Sometimes talking to other people helps you know. There is no need to worry!"

"I am fine Dawn," he replied, which instantly told me that he was lying. He never called me Dawn unless he was overly concerned about me or he was lying. Since my life endangered at the moment, if figured it was the latter.

"Paul, I will break this door down if you don't get your ass out of there in a count of three," I threatened. I heard silence come from the other side of the door, probably at the use of my curse word. Oh well, it needed to be said.

The door swung open, causing me to fall into the bathroom. I tumbled into Paul taking him down with me. He was shirtless; his scars never looked more beautiful. I stared down at his face, since I was lying on top of him.

"Since when did you swear?" asked Paul. I expected him to shove me off but he didn't move. Our faces were inches apart, his coal-black eyes meeting my deep blue ones.

"I swear, you just never have heard it," I whispered, seeing no need to talk any louder. Everything in my body was screaming at me to get up before something happened, but I couldn't seem to will it to happen.

"I am sorry," he whispered, the second time I had ever heard him utter those words. "There is something I have been meaning to tell you."

I stared at him and blinked hard for a few seconds. "There is no need to be sorry." I felt him shift under me and then to my surprise he stood up while still holding onto me. He half-dragged/ half-carried me out of the bathroom and to his bed. He sat me down on it then went and grabbed a clean purple shirt that he threw on.

He sat down next to me and was silent. "Paul, what do you have to say?" I prompted. His lips began to move but no sound came out.

"Tomorrow is the day of my mom's funeral," he finally said. I watched as a few tears began to slide out. This was the Paul I rarely got a glimpse of, the sensitive and vulnerable Paul.

"Paul, I am so sorry," I whispered, leaning over and holding him. I stretched out one hand and wiped the tears gently from his face. "Do you want to call Reggie?"

I felt his arms encircle my waist and squeeze me tightly as he took comfort from my presence. "No, not until after the funeral. My brother has enough stress in his life without me adding to it."

He was fighting for composure as I watched but he didn't let go of my waist. "We don't have to travel tomorrow if you don't want to."

He shook his head fiercely, his hair tickling my face. "You are not going to miss your contest." He was silent for a little while and I just relished in the feel of being in his arms, probably one of the few chances I would ever get. He just didn't seem to get girls. "Troublesome, how much trouble would I be in if I asked you a question?"

"Why would you be in trouble for asking me a question? Go ahead," I said.

"Who do you like?" he asked, his voice catching on the _like_. His fingers dug into my back a little bit.

I felt a blush spread out across my face. "I do like this one boy," I admitted, still not letting go of him. "But I am not sure if he likes me back. He has a troubled past, can be a jerk at times, but at other times he is the sweetest dude I have ever met."

He stared at me for a few moments and then said, "Do you want to know who I like?" Without waiting for my response he leaned forward and his lips met mine. He kissed me softly and I found myself kissing him back. His hold on me loosened as I deepened the kiss. He was an amazing kisser who was super gentle, which surprised me greatly. Maybe he was a gentle person on the inside.

After a few minutes he pulled away from me, both of us breathing heavily. "Dawn, I think I really like you," he whispered huskily. I just stared at him as my heart fluttered happily.

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**What did you think? Do not worry there will be more twists before the end. Also, tell me any mistakes you see so I can fix them. The song that inspired this chapter was ****Boyfriend**** by ****Big Time Rush****. Please review, I want at least 85 before I update! Also review, don't just add me to favorites! Next chapter will be interesting! Don't forget the poll!**


	18. Wish Right Now!

**Hey everybody, thank you so much for all the reviews! Sorry it has been so long since I updated, I have been super busy with school and friends and sports! Please don't hold it against me! Well anyway, please read and review and take my poll!**

**I Do Not Own Pokemon!**

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**Paul's POV:**

I cannot believe that I had just done that! What was wrong with me? Those walls were all crashing down just because of one beautiful, innocent girl who speaks her mind so easily. The one person I have opened up to more than anyone else in the world.

Dawn was staring at me, her eyes seeming to shine, even in the dim light of the room. "Paul, I think I really like you too!"

I smiled at her before bringing her to me for a hug. I brushed the hair off of her face as she stood up. "Well, I got to go shower!" she announced, grabbing some things out of her bag and heading towards the bathroom.

"Don't make too much noise," I growled, flopping down on the bed. "I want to sleep!" Dawn just giggled in reply. I pretended to be annoyed, but I am pretty sure my façade must not have been very good since she just smacked my feet.

"Night Paul!" she chirped. I didn't respond, instead opting to bury my face in my pillow. I heard the bathroom door shut quietly and closed my eyes as the black wave of sleep crashed over me.

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_I was standing in a cemetery, surrounded by a crowd of people I vaguely recognized. A preacher stood in front of an open grave, saying words I couldn't make out. I realized I was at a funeral, for whom, I was afraid to find out. I walked up to the nearest person to me and stared at their face. With a shock, I realized it was Zoey. She had tears running down her face. I hurriedly looked at the other people there and realized that I knew most of them. Misty, May, Ash, Brock, Reggie, Gary, Drew, Kenny and Barry were all there along with Dawn's mom Johanna. They were all crying and hugging each other, dressed in black. Their appearance showed that they were all older, between twenty and thirty, well except for Johanna and a few others, but I wasn't going to take a stab at their ages._

"_What are you doing here?" screamed Zoey, staring directly at me. "You kill her then show up at her funeral! I thought you were in prison!"_

_I stared at her in surprise. "Who did I supposedly kill?"_

"_Don't act like you don't know!" she screamed, her voice cracking from the obvious pain she was in. She tackled me to the ground and began to punch me as hard as she could._

"_Zoey, honey, it is okay," someone said, picking Zoey off of me. It was Kenny. As he held her while she cried, I realized that they both had a ring on their fingers. They must have gotten married in the time that had passed._

_I looked out over the people there and realized that there was one person not in the crowd, Dawn. I walked quickly through the crowd just to affirm my growing dread. I walked up to the casket where there were items piled next to it. Flowers, cards, some stuffed Pokemon and a couple pictures lay there in the snow. _

_I bent over and studied them, opening the cards and looking at the pictures. They were all about Dawn. Pictures of her with her friends, with her Pokemon, and there was one picture that really stood out to me. It showed Dawn standing there, smiling at the camera, except for the fact that she was wearing a wedding dress. And standing next to her, in a tuxedo, was me. There was a ring on both of our fingers and I realized that it showed us getting married. _

_I snapped back to reality as they lifted the casket and placed it into the grave. Johanna walked up and grabbed a handful of dirt and dropped it slowly into the hole, tears streaming down her face the entire time. The rest of the group filed up and each dropped a handful in. Finally they covered up the grave and rested a tombstone on top. It read:_

_In Loving Memory of  
Dawn Hikari Berlitz-Shinji_

_9-19-1996 to 3-02-2017_

_A wonderful daughter and friend  
You will be missed_

_The items were piled in front and the group began to leave. I ran over and grabbed Drew's arm, who was helping May out of the cemetery. "Drew, what happened to Dawn?"_

_He stared at me wordlessly, his eyes portraying infinite sadness and sympathy. He reached into his pocket and produced a newspaper clipping. He then gave me a hug before walking off with May. I stared after him for a few seconds before finally working up the nerve to read it._

_**Death of Local Girl Considered a Homicide by Detectives**_

_Dawn Hikari Berlitz-Shinji, age 21, died last Thursday after a fight with her husband Paul Shinji. She was found brutally beaten and died shortly after being taken to the hospital. The coroner has revealed that Berlitz-Shinji died of eternal bleeding. The couple's neighbors have reported hearing screams echoing from the couple's house but think anything was wrong since the couple had been having problems recently. One of Shinji's friends told officers that he had been drinking with Shinji before the incident. Shinji is currently being held without bail until his trial next month. There is talk; however, of letting him attend his wife's funeral._

_I dropped the paper and ran as fast as I could away from there, tears streaming down my face. I couldn't have killed Dawn, I just couldn't have!_

_

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_

I hit the ground with a thump, soaked thoroughly with sweat. Breathing hard, I pushed myself up to my feet and glanced over at the other bed. Dawn was snoring peacefully, looking angelic in her sleep. I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face and looked carefully at my appearance in the mirror. I looked exactly how I remember my dad looking, just younger. I had bloodshot eyes, the beginnings of a beard poking out of my face, covered in sweat, and deathly pale.

"I am not my father!" I muttered towards my reflection. "It was just a dream!" I felt tears beginning to prick at my eyes and I punched the wall with all of my strength. I then tiptoed out of the bathroom and grabbed my things before going back in. I showered first, to get rid of the sweat and to return some color to my face. I then grabbed my razor and shaved my face until it was perfectly smooth. Now, all I had to do was pray that I could fall back to sleep to get rid of the bloodshot eyes.

I was jolted awake, my heart pounding as I fought to get control of myself. The last dream had been me kissing Dawn, then taking a knife and stabbing her with it. _What the hell was wrong with me?_ I glanced at over at Dawn's bed and saw with relief that it was empty. I sat up and rested my head in my hands. I was soaked with sweat _again_ and my eyes were probably bloodshot. I quickly grabbed my towel and rubbed my face to rid myself of sweat. I dressed and layered deodorant on just as Dawn came out from the bathroom.

"Oh, good morning Paul!" chirped Dawn. Dressed in shorts and a tank top, she looked like she was hoping for a self-defense class. She came up and tried to give me a hug which I deftly sidestepped. The nightmares were still too fresh on my mind. "Paul, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Dawn, don't worry about it," I growled. She looked at me with visible hurt in her eyes; I forced myself to look away. I yanked open the door and headed out into the hallway, with her at my heels.

"Paul, are you regretting what you said and did last night?" she asked. There was a wary note in her voice, like she was afraid of the answer. I didn't give her an answer but slowed down so that she could walk next to me. "Paul, if you don't want to go out with me, you can just tell me. I won't be mad at you and I will still travel with you!"

"Dawn, just leave me alone for a moment! You never shut up and it is getting fucking annoying!" I screamed as we entered the lobby, causing everyone to turn and stare at us.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, blinking back tears. "I thought for some strange reason that you had changed!" She gave me a small sad smile and glanced around at the spectators. "I thought you said you liked me; must have been just a dream. I am going to eat breakfast and get ready for my contest tomorrow. I'll see you later." With that, she turned and hurried away. I cast my eyes down and shouldered my way through the trainers and grabbed some breakfast.

I was outside training later that day when I saw Dawn with none other than Conway. The nerdy, annoying boy who Ash had beat at the Lily of the Valley Conference. Dawn was leaning against a tree, laughing at something Conway was telling her. She gazed around and spotted me. Giving me a sardonic smirk, she gave Conway a hug. I shook my head in disgust and turned back to Torterra, returning it.

Conway looked over after they broke away from the hug and gave me a wave. I forced myself to walk over to join them, resisting the urge to smack the smug look off of creepy boy's face. "Hello Conway, hi Dawn, didn't expect to see you two together."

"I was just catching Conway up and what has been going on the last couple months. You know, boyfriends, contests, traveling partners," she responded, her smirk beginning to grow. She twirled around in a circle and I noticed how she pulled her tank top just a little bit lower. I felt my anger begin to rise, she was doing this all on purpose. I watched Conway's eyes drift away from her face and to her chest every once in a while.

"Well Dawn, you do realize that you are late for your self-defense class, don't you?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. Dawn flashed me a glare, but put a devil-may-care smile on and brushed her hand over Conway's arm. I just then realized that I had been picturing Conway wrong. His glasses were gone, his hair cut, and his muscular limbs showed underneath his green shirt and black shorts.

"I will see you tonight Conway," Dawn practically purred, flashing me a glare as she did so.

"See you tonight Dawn," said Conway. "Bye Paul." Dang, he had even gotten rid of that annoying way he would talk and creep up on people. This guy was good.

"What is your problem?" demanded Dawn as soon as Conway was out of earshot. "You scream at me this morning and then get all jealous when I talk to another guy!"

"Well, at least I am not the one acting like a total slut! What was with the whole stunt of pulling your shirt down lower?" Dawn blushed and pulled her shirt back up to a more reasonable height. "And I am not jealous!" _Where had my cool, unconcerned demeanor gone?_

"You certainly didn't seem to like all the attention Conway was giving me," smirked Dawn, flipping her hair with one hand. If I didn't think she was so mad at me I would have considered it flirting. But then again, she didn't know why I was avoiding her, if only she knew the truth. That I was afraid I was going to turn into a raving monster and kill her, even if by accident and have to live with eternal guilt for the rest of my life.

"Well, I just don't think that Conway is who he seems that's all. I am just looking out for you. I don't want you to get hurt." Even as I said it, I didn't believe it.

"Well guess what Paul. Too late," replied Dawn tartly, pain in her beautiful blue eyes. She turned and stormed off. I turned away so I didn't have to watch her walk off and then headed slowly into town. I just had to get away from the Pokemon Center; I didn't want to see Conway and Dawn together.

I wandered aimlessly around town until well after dark. I watched an airplane make its way slowly across the sky. I decided to pretend it was a shooting star and make a wish that I could change my life and become a different person then I was today. A fruitless wish I know, but I could really use a wish right now. Today I had missed my mom's funeral, pissed off (maybe permanently) the girl of my dreams, seen one of my least favorite people, and successfully decided to wish on an airplane. Man, my life was jacked up.

Finally running out of things to do, I decided to head back to the Pokemon Center and my room. It was well past midnight and even Nurse Joy was not at the front desk anymore. I pushed the doors open and quietly walked down the hallway to my room. Digging around in my pocket, I grasped the key and let myself into the room. I glanced over at Dawn's bed and saw her laying there, eyes closed, and breathing softly. I would have thought she was asleep except for the fact that her breathing was just a bit off. I walked slowly over to the bed, feeling like I didn't have the energy to shower or change. As I kicked off my shoes and crawled into bed, I found a note laid carefully on my pillow in Dawn's handwriting.

_Paul I forgot that today was your mom's funeral. I am so sorry, I would say that I understood but in truth, I don't. My mom is still alive and I have no idea what I would do if she wasn't. I don't know if this is the reason you are mad at me, but if it is, I hope that I can help you heal. If not, Paul I am so sorry for whatever I did to make you angry. I really do care about you and even if you do not like me as more than a friend, then I still want to be friends. You are actually a great person under your cold exterior. Good night, I will be at my contest tomorrow if you want to find me._

I glanced over at her and smiled before turning around and crawling into bed. Eventually her breathing evened out and she fell asleep. "Goodnight Dawn, I love you," I whispered, a feeling of peace settling over me.

**So, what did you think? Please leave me a review and tell me what you think. I will not update until I get at least 97, but I am aiming for 100. If I do get 100, I will update super fast! Also tell me any problems you see! Well, until next time see you! Also, if you haven't taken my poll, please take it!**


	19. The Fight

**Hey everybody, thank you for all of the reviews! I am so glad you guys liked it! I am sorry about the not so super fast update *hangs head in shame*. Oh, and a part of this chapter may sound like Diamond and Pearl by The Biggest Ikarishipping fan. I swear I wrote it before I read her chapter and I didn't copy. Also I made a new poll and it is about this story so please take it! Here is the next chapter! **

**I Do Not Own Pokemon!**

**Paul's POV:**

I wake up the next morning, drenched in sweat and tears pouring out of my eyes. I guess pushing Dawn away doesn't end the nightmares. I sit up and look over to her bed, but it is empty. "She is probably at the contest already," I murmur, grabbing some clothes and heading to the shower.

After showering I shave my face and style my hair the best I can. I want to look good for her. Even if we can't ever get back together, I want her to like me, not to be embarrassed of me.

I grasp my Poke Balls and head out the door, an unsettling sensation in my stomach. It is almost as if I am nervous. About what, I cannot say. Maybe it is the fact that I will be facing her for the first time since fighting with her over Conway. Maybe it is because of all of the things I want to tell her, I know that I cannot say even one of them. Because she is in danger around me, and hurting her would destroy the last piece of my soul remaining.

The contest is already in full swing when I manage to get there. Shoving my way through the crowds, I reach the stands just as Dawn is announced to go next. She looks absolutely stunning in a simple black dress with her hair down in cascading blue waves. Her face was completely absent of makeup and I am sure she never looked more beautiful.

"Pachirisu, take the stage!" announced Dawn, tossing a Poke Ball into the air. Pachirisu twirled out onto the stage, sparks flying from its tiny cheeks. I don't really know what happened during her appeal round; I stopped watching her Pokemon as soon as it was released. I blocked out the noise, the people around me, even Pachirisu, and just watched Dawn. Watching her cheeks light up in excitement, her hair form form a halo around her face, was breathtaking. Before I know it, she is bowing and walking back off the stage, never looking at me once.

I stand up as fast as I can and take off to find Dawn. I turn and run down the hallway, heading back to the staging area. I run down a flight of stairs and skid to a stop outside the door. Inside sits Dawn, her face down in her hands, blocking me from seeing her emotions. Next to her sits the red hair girl, I think her name is Zoey, talking quietly. Dawn nods every once in a while, and they are soon joined by the annoying boy, Kenny. He says something that makes them all laugh. Just as I was about to leave Dawn looks up and sees me. Her eyes widen in surprise and I get out of there as fast as I can. Here I thought I was this big brave man, and I couldn't even face her. She was so much stronger than I was.

I find my way back to my seat and plop down, my breathing heavy. I don't know how long I sat like that, but the announcer broke me out of my brooding. "And here are the eight coordinators moving on the second round!" Eight pictures pop up, including Dawn's picture, causing me to sigh in relief. The crowd erupts in cheers as the pictures are shuffled and the battles begin.

Dawn is up first against Kenny. And I am happy to say those hours of battling practice with her have paid off. She absolutely slaughters him, winning the battle in less than two minutes with Buneary. I cheer along with the rest of the crowd as Dawn bows.

She then goes up against a boy I don't know. He doesn't stand a chance either and she wins the battle over his Sunflora. She bows again and walks off, without seeing me watching her. I swear I don't know what I will do if she doesn't notice me.

No surprise, Dawn is up against Zoey in the final round. As I begin to cheer I feel a tap on my shoulder. Whirling around, I am staring into the face of Gary Oak. "Well if it isn't little plum head," says Gary, a big smirk on his face. "How are you and Dawn working out?"

I clench my hands into fists; trying to fight against the rage I feel building in me. "Gary, leave me alone."

"Or what, you will run off and tell Dawn I am back? You will fight me? We both know that you don't stand a chance against me." Gary leans back in his chair and props his feet up on my chair, smiling easily the entire time. "Your little girlfriend out there isn't going to stand a chance against Zoey."

I glance out towards the arena where Dawn is getting ready to battle Zoey. "Where is she Gary?" I ask, suddenly realizing something. "Where is your girlfriend?"

Gary just continues his devil-may-care smile and replies, "Oh her, we broke up a long time ago. She didn't like my… habits."

"She has a really good body; I can't believe I was such an idiot." Gary lets out a small laugh when I turn back to look at him. "Damn she is hot!"

That was the last straw. With a guttural yell, I leap over the back of the seat and watch as my hand connects with the side of his face. Gary gives a yelp of surprise, taken by surprise. I use this opportunity to swing another punch in that nails the side of his face. The advantage I had gained from his surprise didn't last long though. Gary jumped up from his chair and pushed into me. I flipped over the back of a chair and hit the ground near the railing with a thud. "What think you can take me Gary?" I challenge, standing up quickly even though the room is starting to spin.

"Yeah I actually think I can Paul," he whispers, leaping over the row and landing in front of me. Before he can take a swing I lash out with my foot and take out his knee. "Shit!" he screams, grabbing his leg. I vaguely hear people yelling in the background for us to stop. The thundering of footsteps doesn't deter me from my goal. I swing my hand back; balling it into a fist, and bring it forward. Before it can connect, I feel myself lifted up into the air by a pair of burly security guards. Gary is also in the same position I am, which gives me a small glimmer of satisfaction.

"What do you two think you are doing?" one of them asked, not expecting an answer. We both stay quiet; not wanting to let anyone know what is going on. "Fine, if you two want to fight, you can do it outside." They carry us outside and drop us on the grass.

I sit there for a while on the soft grass, staring at Gary whose eyes shine with hatred. Neither of us speak; the air is crackling with tension. "Paul, Gary what do you two think you are doing!" demands a voice behind me.

**Okay, this chapter is done! Sorry it was so short! Tell me any mistakes you see and please leave a review!**


	20. Meant to Be?

**Here is the next chapter! Sorry for the long wait!**

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**Dawn's POV:**

Paul whips his head around and stares at me, his face changing as he tried to decide what to go with. Gary, on the other hand, just looks bored as he stares up at me. "Hey Dawn, I liked that dress, I think you should wear one like that again!" He lets out a small laugh as I glower angrily at him. I had changed

Paul's face reflects sorrow, and I feel a little bad for him. Not enough to dissipate my anger though. "Gary, leave right now," I growled, my hands curling into fist. Something on my face must have showed him my move because he got up and slowly sauntered out of there. Once he was gone, I turned to Paul.

"What the hell happened out there?" I demand.

"Dawn, can we go somewhere a little more private?" he asks. I look around and see that everybody from the contest is out near us.

"Why can't we discuss this out here?" He is really starting to annoy me. I have never felt this way before and I can't figure out what he did to make me like this.

In response Paul grabs my hand and leads me out of there into the woods. He walks for what seems like forever and I am just about to leave when he stops. I am surprised by his eyes, which seem to be begging for forgiveness. "Dawn, I am sorry about what happened today, but he had it coming. You don't know what he was saying. I wanted to kill him."

I am surprised by the callousness in his voice. Paul is cold and rude, but this was something on a totally different level. I take an unconscious step backwards, fear coursing its way through me. He reaches towards me and I resist. "Please Dawn, forgive me."

"Paul, what is wrong with you?" I ask my voice loud and clear. He stares at me questioningly, his hair pretty much hiding his eyes.

"What do you mean, 'what is wrong with me'? I told you what happened." His hands begin to twitch by his sides and my eyes can't seem to look away from them. His whole body seems to be tense

"Paul, you are scaring me," I whisper. "There is something a little off about you." I have just barely finished my sentence when he reaches out and grabs me, planting a firm kiss on my lips. I stand there like a statue, surprised by the fierceness of the kiss. As quick as it began, it ends and he lets me go. I stand there and stare at him, thoughts of the kiss clouding my mind.

"Dawn, I need you," he whispers, his face mere inches from mine.

I am confused; one moment he is begging for my forgiveness and the next he is telling me he needs me. It is like he is bipolar. Need you is not what I wanted to hear though, I was hoping for something more, like I love you. I reach out and lay my hand on his chest. He leans forward to kiss me again but I push him away. "Paul, I need to know what you really are, who you really are. You are hot and cold."

"I didn't know we are that serious," he murmurs. He turns his back to me and walks a couple paces away. "Do you forgive me?"

"What happened out there, what did Gary say? Maybe I will forgive you if I earn the truth from you."

"Gary, he said you were damn hot. That you had a great body and he can't figure out why he ever broke up with you." Anger reenters his voice and that look comes over him again, the stiffness and the twitchy hands.

"That is bad Paul, but I don't think it warrants your reaction," I reply, trying to calm him down.

"He uses girls like they are… I don't even know what! The girl that he was with when he was dating you broke up with him because he apparently can't keep his hands off of every girl that walks his way! He is just like the guys my mom was with!"

Then it clicked, why he was acting this way. I was his mom and Gary was one of her boyfriends. Hopefully I wouldn't turn out to be like her though. "Paul, I won't end up like that. I got you and all of my friends. You are here to support me."

Paul punched a tree, his hands splintering the wood and causing his knuckles to bleed. Then he let out the scream of a wounded animal before sitting down, his head against a tree and his breathing labored. With one long trembling gasp his face fell and returned to its cold state. So rarely did he show emotion. It hurt me to think about what happened to him to make him so cold. I sighed in exasperation and then began the long walk back.

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_Dear Diary,_

_My sleep was restless last night. I kept replaying the fight. I was beginning to realize just how close Paul was to snapping sometimes. His anger scared me, his refusal to show emotion saddened me, and the moments when he opened up I loved him. I had never felt like this about a guy before._

_From the breathing of the bed next to me, I don't think Paul got much sleep either. I hadn't even told him that I had won the contest. Against impossible odds, especially since they had distracted me, I had beat Zoey. _

_Tears are coming out of my eyes as I write this. Why did I have to fall in love with him? A man with skeletons in his closet? Kenny or Barry would have been much healthier choices. But would I have ever truly been happy with them? I don't think so. I don't usually believe in the higher power crap, but for some reason I am sure he and I were destined to be together. But will we be able to come together, or will he always hold me at arm's length?_

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**Sorry it was so short and bad. But I really wanted to post something. Sometimes life gets the better of you and I had pretty much abandoned this. But I really will try to update faster! Please leave me a review!**


	21. I Wish I Knew

**Hey everybody, thank you for all the reviews. I am updating faster now, yay! My goal is to finish this story before summer is over. This chapter is shorter, but I wanted to end it where I did, so it makes sense. Please read and review!**

**Dawn's POV:**

My diary is still clutched in my hand when I wake up. Glancing over I see that Paul is still asleep in his bed. But the scene is not peaceful. He is twitching back and forth and I want to help him without waking up. Quietly, I slide out of bed and sit next to him. I pet his hair that is damp with sweat.

"Paul, I wish I knew what was going on in your head," I whisper, stretching out so that I lay down next to him, my face mere inches from his. "I wish I knew what you dreamed about at night. I wish I knew what your biggest fear was. What you wanted to accomplish in your life."

I pause to take a breath, watching as his sleep becomes more peaceful. "I wish I knew what your biggest regret in your life was. I wish I knew what your favorite song was. I wish I knew what song is your song. I wish I knew what your favorite type of food is. I wish I knew what you would change about yourself." I am running out of things to say so I just close my eyes and hope that I can eventually know everything there is to know about Paul.

* * *

I feel someone shaking my arm and I struggle to open my eyes. "Dawn, wake up," says a voice right next to my ear. My eyes fly open as I realize what happened. I sit up as fast as I can and can hear Paul chuckling.

"Oh my gosh Paul, I am so sorry!" I shriek, brushing my hair back behind my ears.

"Dawn, if you wanted to sleep with me, you could have just asked," he smiles.

"We weren't sleeping together, I just happened to fall asleep next to you," I reply hotly, standing up and walking over to sit on my bed. "And anyways, I don't want to sleep with you."

Paul seems to find this funny as he bursts into a laughing fit, and my cheeks flame in embarrassment. I fight the urge to scream like a baby and take the more adult approach. Running into the bathroom and slamming and locking the door. I have been in here for at least fifteen minutes and I can still here Paul laughing on the other side of the door. I check and double check my outfit, a plaid skirt and a white blouse, until I am sure it looks perfect. I finally walk out of the bathroom to see him sitting on his bad, and he has the good grace to look ashamed.

"Dawn, I am sorry," he says, walking over to stand next to me. "It is just that I didn't expect to wake up next to you." He pauses and seems to think about something before continuing. "Wait, why were you sleeping next to me?"

"You were having a nightmare and I was trying to calm you down," I reply as his face goes white. "What were you dreaming about?"

He doesn't respond though, instead he grabs up some clothes and heads into the bathroom. I decide to go ahead and pack all of our stuff up, since we should be leaving to go to his next Battle Frontier battle. As I am packing up his stuff I come across a folder full of old letters. I am tempted to leave it there and keep packing it up but instead I open it up and take out the first piece of paper I come across.

It is written is scrawling and very boyish hand-writing that must be Paul's. And I also notice that it was never mailed to anyone. My eyes quickly scan it and I am shocked by what I read.

_Reggie, I am so sorry for everything that I said to you. I know that it is not your fault for where I am in life today. But you have to understand something. I am not you, nor will I ever be. I have to get away from Sinnoh and start over as a new person. I hope you will understand. _

_Sincerely, _

_Paul_

I stick it back in and grab out another one. This one was also never sent.

_Reggie, I thank I figured out what you mean about how one girl can change you. I have really gotten to know that girl and I don't even know who I am anymore. I wish I could describe in words the effect she has on me and all of those around her. I guess what you say does have some truth to it sometimes. I am not attracted to her because of her beauty, although she is definitely not ugly. It is her personality. She really is like a new dawn for me._

_Your brother,_

_Paul_

"Are you having fun?" asks a voice behind me. I drop the letter and spin around into the face of a very angry Paul. "Snooping through my personal stuff, is that something you do often?" He snatches the folder away from me and tucks the letter back into it. Before I can answer he continues. "How many of these did you read?"

"I only read two," I say, standing up and trying to fight off my fear and show him that I am not ashamed to have been caught. "Paul, why didn't you ever those send those to Reggie?"

His face pales again and he kneels down and shoves everything back into his bag and zips it up. "That is none of your business Dawn," he replies, standing up. "Grab your stuff; we have to go on to my Battle Frontier challenge."

* * *

Paul and I travel in silence the rest of the day until we are forced to set up camp thanks to a darkening sky. I eat my chocolate chip cookie dough Pop-Tart without really tasting it. I can't seem to get the letters out of my mind. Paul has a lot of stuff he doesn't want to share. But the thing that the one letter had said, _she really is like a new dawn for me,_ made me hope he was talking about me. I mean, it was pretty obvious, but who knows, maybe he is talking about someone else.

I am shaken from my thinking when I sense his eyes trained on me. I meet his dark eyes, the ones I can never read. We stare at each other silently for a few minutes. Then he turns away and crawls into his sleeping bag. I take this as a sign that he is not going to talk to me again.

I feel tears leaking slowly out of my eyes as I lay down. I have changed so much since traveling with Paul. I have gotten stronger, both physically and mentally. I don't have Piplup out of his Poke Ball anymore, unless I am currently training him. I don't wear much makeup, I don't care about my appearance, yet I have never felt this alive.

Just as I am drifting off to sleep, Paul says, "My favorite colors are dark purple and onyx."

I blink in surprise for a minute before I realize what he is talking about. "You heard me this morning. I thought you were asleep."

"I can't sleep through your mindless rambling Troublesome," he replies. "Now go to sleep, I am tired."

His breathing evens out and tells me that he has fallen asleep. I still don't quite know what has happened, but I think that I am starting to figure him out.

**Thank you for reading it! Please review! Sorry it was so short, but I should be updating soon!**


	22. Screwed Up

**Hey everybody, thank you so much for all the reviews! Anyways, this is the next chapter, with a Frontier Battle, and I hope you all enjoy it! **

**Paul's POV:**

My dreams, Dawn wanted to know all about them. I couldn't tell her though, that would be letting her inside my deepest darkest secrets. Besides, the obvious goal of wanting to be a Pokemon Master cannot be the ones she wants to hear about. I dream of being married and actually happy for once in my life. Is that too much to ask for?

I roll over and slide myself out of the sleeping bag, listening to the early morning forest sounds. I grab some clothes and change into a t-shirt, shorts and some running shoes and head off for an early morning jog.

I feel pent up rage, and the need to take it out on someone, anyone is almost uncontrollable. I hear a shriek ring out and it takes me a moment to realize that it was me who made that sound. I sink to my knees and scream again, not forming any words, just releasing. I clench my hands in the scraggly grass and refuse to let go. I feel a sob build up in my throat and choose to scream again. I cannot cry, I will not cry. I scream for what seemed like forever and then collapse into the grass and roll up into a ball. Everything, it feels like, is against me.

I haven't felt like this in so long. Not since I was young and my "dad" would beat me and my mom would cry and beg him to stop, but never do anything about it. I would escape and run outside of town, and huddle and cry until I felt good enough or hungry enough to return. I would walk back again and he would apologize and I would say I forgave him but I never really did.

This, this is different. This pent up anger is at myself. How the most important person in my life, I can't even seem to face. When she asks me questions, I can practically see walls closing up in my mind. It was closing me in; making me become a loner, with the only person that I can depend on is myself.

When the sun is beginning to penetrate the dark recesses of the forest, I stretch out and wipe the back of my hand across my face. I get up to my feet but really don't want to leave. These little episodes of mine may make me feel better, but it didn't help me figure out what to do. I mean, I could answer these little innocent questions of hers like my favorite color or whatever, but the bigger ones; I just don't know what to do.

Since Dawn will probably be getting up soon, if she is already not up yet, I need to get back there. The jog helps clear my mind a little bit and help me focus on my goal, my victory at the Battle Dome.

"Hey Paul, where were you?" asks Dawn, leaping up to her feet as I appear through the trees.

"Just thinking," I reply gruffly, heading over to my sleeping bag and rolling it up.

"Paul, I have a question that I want you to answer honestly," says Dawn, coming over and sitting down in front of my backpack, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She doesn't bother to wait for my response and asks pretty bluntly, "Do you want me to travel with you anymore?"

"Why would you think I don't want you to travel with me anymore?" I ask surprised.

"Well," she sighs, laying her head down on her knees. "You just don't seem happy anymore. I mean sometimes you do, like the times when you kiss me. But the other times, when you ignore me, I don't know, I just don't feel needed anymore."

I stare at her, shock silencing my. I had no idea that she felt like that. I reach a tentative hand forward and rest it on her shoulder. She picks her head up to look at me and I force a smile onto my face. "I want you to keep traveling with me Dawn."

A few emotions flicker over her face before her look grows angry. "I need a reason Paul. I need a solid reason why you want me to keep traveling with you."

I focus my eyes on the ground and make a decision. I need to start tearing down these walls if I am ever going to be able to live my life. "I want you to travel with me because when you are with me, you make me feel human. I feel emotions I didn't even know I could feel anymore."

"That's what I wanted to hear," she smiles and stands up. "Oh, and look what I found." She twirls around and smirks, holding out a black rock. I take it from her hand and look at it, trying to figure out what it means.

"What is this for?" I ask, finally giving up.

"It's onyx, your favorite color." I let out a low chuckle and Dawn breaks out in giggles. "I figured since you told me something so deep within your soul as your favorite color, I had to give you something to show you my gratitude."

It takes me a few moments to realize that she is being sarcastic and just a tiny bit mean with this present. I am tempted to throw it far into the forest, never to be seen again, but something makes me stick it deep into my pocket. "Are you ready?"

"Of course," she chirps, quickly standing up and grabbing her bag. I walk off with her by my side. I sneak covert glances at her, but she just seems to be enjoying the sights and sounds of the forest.

* * *

We have traveled through most of the day when I spot a huge building up in front of us, neutrally colored with the words Battle Dome and a Poke Ball. "There it is!" squeals Dawn, and I have to hide the eye roll and bite my tongue to keep from saying some sarcastic comment.

There are many reporters and spectators crowded around someone who seems to be posing. At first I think it must be a girl, but the closer we get I realize it is Tucker, the Dome Ace. I shove my way into the crowd, not apologizing as I practically shove people over. I hear Dawn muttering sorry behind me as she tries to keep up with me.

I finally break through the throng and the cameras stop flashing as I block the shot. "Who are you guys?" asks one of the reporters, a petite woman with fine, straight blonde hair.

"We are here for Tucker," I say, looking at the Dome Ace. He has his purple hair in pigtails like a little school girl. He has on a bright yellow t-shirt with a dark purple jacket over top. His skinny jeans are black and he is wearing pink high-tops. Black eyeliner swirls out from his eyes and is smudge with yellow and purple eye shadow.

"Why, I am the Dome Ace," says Tucker, doing a little pirouette and turning to face us. I force myself not to back away from him like I so very want to. He sticks out his hands and examines his nails as he looks at me out of the corner of his eye. "Are you here for a battle?"

"Yes I am," I reply, squaring my shoulders. His eyes travel up and down my body for he turns with a little wave for us to follow.

"Didn't I battle your brother a few years back?" he asks as Dawn and I follow him towards the building. "I seem to recognize you from somewhere."

"Yeah you did," I reply, my eyes scanning the gym as we walk into it. Spectators are already filling up the stands and Dawn goes and stands behind me as I take up my position in the arena.

Tucker releases two Pokemon out onto the field, a swampert and an arcanine. "Do you want to exchange your Pokemon before we begin?" asks Tucker. I shake my head and he lowers the machine back into the ground. I remember the battle my brother had against him like it was yesterday. I know my strategy.

"Torterra and Electivire stand by for battle," I command, throwing two Poke Balls up into the air. They appear on the battlefield with a loud roar. I allow myself a small smirk as Tucker looks at my Pokemon. He isn't going to stand a chance.

"Your move first," says Tucker, doing a little twirl as the spectators scream and cameras flash.

"Torterra use Leaf Storm, Electivire use Thunderbolt." Tornados of green leave build up around Torterra and then fly across the arena towards Swampert. Electivire summons up electricity and fires it at Arcanine.

"Arcanine use Fire Spin and Swampert use Water Gun," Tucker commanded, causing people in the stands to cheer loudly. The two Pokemon fired off their attacks, effectively blocking my moves.

I felt a growl rise up in my throat, but told myself to calm down. This was all going just as planned. I knew I was going to win. "Electivire use Thunder Punch," I order. Electivire ran forward, his right fist beginning to glow.

"Arcanine use Extreme Speed," shouts Tucker, watching as Electivire nears his Pokemon. I let out a whistle, sharp and loud, as Arcanine shoots off and the ground explodes with vines as Torterra finally releases his built up Frenzy Plant.

"Arc!" screeches Arcanine, being thrown up into the air. Swampert fired off water guns at the vines, trying to block them. It was so distracted, Electivire was able to land its Thunder Punch, which would only get it to look, not actually do any damage.

"Use Iron Tail," I shout. Electivire's tail began to glow and it brought them down on Swampert.

"Swam," it groaned, as it sank to the ground, unconscious. Tucker bit his bottom lip as he returned Swampert, whispering to the Poke Ball before stowing it away.

"You aren't going to win that easily," smirked Tucker, twirling around again, probably to get the audience screaming again. "Arcanine, use Fire Blast." Arcanine let out a huge burst of flames and then jumped into it. "Now use Extreme Speed." Before I could do anything since Torterra was still unable to use a move after Frenzy Plant, Arcanine slammed into him.

"Tor," he mumbles, falling onto the ground in a crumpled heap.

"Shit," I mutter quietly, pulling out Torterra's Poke Ball and returning him. "You could have done better," I growl at the Poke Ball before putting it away.

"You can do it Paul," shouts Dawn, standing on the sidelines. I glance over at her and she flashes me an encouraging smile, which I look away from very fast.

"You're Pokemon are pathetic Tucker," I say loudly, earning boos from the audience. "You have obviously not trained them very well."

Tucker narrows his eyes at me and places his hands on his hips. "You are definitely nothing like your brother," replies Tucker. "I think you need a personality makeover."

I ignore that last comments and focus on the battle. "Of course I am nothing like my brother; I am a much better trainer." Tucker raises an eyebrow at that. "Electivire use Bulldoze." Electivire summons up energy and then begins to slam into the ground, causing the entire gym to vibrate..

"Arcanine use Flamethrower." I tense up ready, to tell Electivire to dodge, but much to my surprise Arcanine uses it on the ground. It flies up into the air and successfully avoids the earthquake. Once Arcanine had gone up as far as it could go, it began to spin and glow with fire.

"Electivire use Thunder," I yell, desperation creeping into my voice. The yellow glow appears and the jagged bolts appear, but it is too little too late. Arcanine slams into Electivire, knocking him onto his side and extinguishing the storm.

"Now use Hyper Beam," says Tucker. A yellow energy appears in Arcanine's mouth and hits Electivire.

"Electivire is unable to battle, Arcanine wins. The victory goes to Dome Ace Tucker." The stadium erupts in cheers as I stand there stunned. I fling Electivire's Poke Ball onto the ground in anger and storm out of the gym, ignoring Dawn's protests as I brush past her.

**Okay, this was very hard for me to right. And I realized how crappy the first chapters of this story are and I am going to go back and fix them. Please tell me what you think! **

**P.S.= I fixed this since you guys pointed out I had Torterra faint twice!**


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